Fear: Reap
by InsolentKnight
Summary: At first, Weiss thought Ruby was a simple dolt. As time went on, she realized there was far more complexity to the girl she called a leader. As Weiss digs into her partner's background, she realizes she bears a striking resemblance to a member of the mysterious faction known as Reapers. Who are they? And what's wrong with Ruby's arm? Non-cannon RWBYverse. Whiterose, maybe Bumblebee
1. Prologue

**-** ****UPDATE 8/2/2016**** **-: Starting with this chapter, details and extra scenes have been added that I seemed to have looked over. While re-reading this, I determined that some of my grammar was absolutely atrocious. It's been some time since this story has been updated, as I've been focus on my other RWBY fic,** _ **Lightforge**_ **. I feel like that story became my priority because it suited my style of writing and gave me a chance to grow. While the two stories have nothing to do with each other, I feel it helped me to figure out how I want to approach this one. For those who have already read _Fear: Reap_ , I strongly encourage re-reading it both as a refresher and because some key information has either changed or been added; however, I don't believe this chapter has changed much, if at all! Thank you for sticking with me! - Insolent**

* * *

Dreams – a peaceful place when one could retreat into rest and let the creative side of their mind take over. To Weiss, they were a place to reflect on how she had grown in her time with Team RWBY… but tonight… was not one of those nights. Tonight was a night for remembering the things she had consciously chosen to ignore - a night for the resurfacing of thoughts that pestered the back of her mind about one such leader known as Ruby. Tonight, she thought back to the time she had met the overly excitable leader who had quite literally exploded into her life. The heiress had given her quite the lecture regarding her lack of awareness to her surroundings. As most others would remember it, Blake had showed up to distract her, but Weiss would always remember three things she had noticed before turning to Blake. It was well-known that their fearless leader was a prodigy of sorts, being two years younger. The second was a virtually unknown problem with what Weiss would later find out was the younger girl's dominant arm.

At first glance, Ruby's long sleeves covered most of her arms, save for her hands. After that day, the girl had gone great lengths to keep them from plain sight, though no one else thought anything of the act. Black gloves had been added to her attire, with the explanation that they improved her grip on Crescent Rose. Yang often stood on guard while her sister changed, though as odd as it was, that was easily chalked up to Ruby being self-conscious and Yang being an overprotective big sister.

Lastly, it hadn't entirely been Blake who had cut off Weiss. In an effort to demonstrate her superiority, Weiss focused her icy gaze onto the seemingly timid girl's eyes. Most others backed down from the pressure of Schnee's gaze, but not this girl. Weiss felt herself being swallowed in what had been a well-disguised ocean of darkness. The red girl's initial charisma was quickly doused by the darkness that stained her once lively eyes - almost as quick as the Schnee girl's temper. In those eyes, Weiss had felt herself choking through the horrors that lurked within and found the faunus' intrusion to be a timely breath of fresh air. With the arrival of Blake, Ruby instantly morphed back into that overwhelmingly happy dolt she was famed for.

Everyone on Team RWBY had a less-than-savory past, especially when it came to Blake's history with the White Fang. The faunus had driven herself into an almost bottomless despair, but even the most feral look Blake had worn failed to give the blackness of Ruby Rose's soul a run for its money. To the heiress, this realization had brought about a new meaning to the phrase "the eyes are the windows to the soul" and this meant that Ruby's darkness was so hidden that no one would expect it when the time came to reveal her true colors… but how could Yang not see it? It seemed the siblings exuded far different personalities on the outside from what lay within... Maybe... Dare she think it?… Ruby was the Yin to her sister's… Yang? She mental kicked herself at that last thought. Clearly, she had been around the older sister for far too long.

Weiss' stomach rumbled with a nervous upset, leading her on a pilgrimage through the darkness toward the bathroom. Sweet relief cooled her mind as water splashed against her face. In her current content, she leaned against the sink and watched the water swirl down the drain. The gurgle of the water became almost hypnotizing, lulling the sleepless heiress' tired mind into a relaxed state.

"We…i..ss," a groggy voice called. Weiss' eyes shot open as her body jolted and the top of her head rammed against the faucet. Pain immediately throbbed through her head as she hastily applied pressure in an effort to sooth the pain. As she leaned against the wall for support, she barely realized she slid to the ground. A presence knelt down in front of her, followed by the touch of soft fingers against her own as they gently pulled her hands away. She winced and partially opened one eye to see the concern ridden face of a slightly more wake Ruby. "Are you okay?" Weiss felt her leader's fingers part her hair, careful to avoid touching her scalp - primarily the tender spot.

"Mmm," Weiss whimpered a favorable response. "Just hurts a little." The ivory girl focused on the floor hoping the stars would soon reduce in number. It was then that Weiss became aware of Ruby's left hand, as it supported the younger girl's weight. This was probably the closest Weiss had been to be able to see it – real shame she had to virtually knock her own lights out to do it. Ruby had leaned down to get a better look at Weiss' condition. Her partner seemed a bit listless, with all her attention focused elsewhere. Following Weiss' line of sight, she came upon her own hand. She gulped loudly and slowly removed it from view. With this simple action, Weiss' eyes came up to meet the sadness mirrored in her leader's eyes. It felt like time between them stood still, leaving a simple question hanging in the air, but Ruby broke contact to look away in shame. "Ruby, what happ-"

"You should get some sleep," Ruby cut her off quickly. The red girl rose to her feet, and despite her visible upset, offered a hand to guide her partner back to bed. Uncharacteristically for the two, Ruby tucked Weiss in and the heiress allowed the younger girl to run a hand through her hair once more. The older girl relished the comfort of this feeling until the hand ran across a sore spot, eliciting a sharp hiss as a dull headache set in. Rather than retracting her hand, Ruby simply opted to run a cool thumb down the heiress' scarred lid, closing the eye with it and ending at her lips. "Shhh… You'll probably have a bump in the morning, but I don't think it'll be noticeable…" Ruby paused in thought and pulled the chair from the desk and sat next to her partner. With a wink, she whispered, "I'll keep an eye on you, just in case!" There were times that Weiss had to remind herself that there was darkness somewhere inside that girl. She was just too damn caring sometimes. Weiss felt herself drifting off under her partner's watchful gaze. As everything faded, she remembered a softening look of adoration in Ruby's eyes before her smile faded.

"I saw **all** of that." Ruby spun around to meet a pair of intense eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: Short chapter. I plan for the others to be around 2K+. Let me know what you think. Please don't flame me too hard. I'll be introducing a lot of things as we go. I realize I've kept Ruby's arm thing rather vague. Yes, this is on purpose. It will be explained - soon actually. Just, Weiss isn't going to label something without facts. That and Weiss might have some light symptoms of a concussion. I DID say she slammed her head into the faucet, which by the way, REALLY hurts O_O... Anyway, Ruby is still left-handed, she just favors her right hand when it comes to people. Fear: Reap is loosely based on a story I had been writing and incorporate some ideas from it. Again, please be gentle. *Tries to put out flames with full gas canister***


	2. Arrival

**A/N: Hey guys! Insolent back with another chapter. 49 Followers. O_o Holy crap! Thanks for the interest! This one pretty much summarizes Team RWBY meeting. You'll notice some key differences. Some speech and events are changed for the sake of this story. Originally, I was going to forgo this chapter, but I felt it would be better to start from here than to have a RIDICULOUS amount of flashbacks. I know how we all LOVE flashbacks **cough cough** Naruto **cough cough**.**

 **UPDATE 8/2/2016: I'd like to make a few notes real quick. Please think of this story as an AU of sorts. Not everyone's semblances work the same. In some cases, certain conditions have to be met for them to work the way they do in the series. You will find a lot of OoC behaviors for the characters, as well. In the beginning, a lot will be unclear, but I assure that it will begin to make sense as the story goes on. Thanks!**

* * *

 ** _Are you absolutely sure you don't want my power?_**

 _ **Yes.**_

 _ **Not even the tiniest sliver?**_

 _ **Of that, I am certain…**_

 _ **Hahaha, Little Rose, you will push me away, but like all the others before you, you will one day beg on your hands and knees...**_

 _ **I will never need you… Reaper…**_

 _ **And like all the others, I will lift you to your feet and welcome you with open arms and we will stand proudly as one – as monster and master.**_

Silver eyes fluttered open, taking in the tiny black creatures of the avian variety that flapped their wings just beyond the thick reinforced glass. Each little bird traveled seamlessly as one, blindly following their leader toward the peaks of the distant bold structures that spoke of both strength and wisdom. It seemed they shared the same destination as Ruby Rose. She sighed as she peered out at the vast canopies below the Bullhead that chauffeured "Beacon's future" to their new home for the next four years.

So many thoughts weighed on her mind as she considered the likelihood of both exciting and trying times ahead. She leaned back, suspending her weight from the bar she had previously rested herself on and a louder sigh escaped her. Somewhere further off, some guy gagged on his own bile, adding a most unpleasant soundtrack to their long journey. As her silver eyes searched for the origin of the aforementioned sounds, a flash of yellow and brown latched itself onto her, with a firm smack to her back. Ruby doubled over and coughed as her lungs attempted to recover from the sudden force, but she found her head locked between a single arm and a pair of huge breasts.

"Aw! Baby sis! You made it!" The blonde excitedly hugged her crimson clothed sister closer. "I'm so proud of youuu!"

"Ack, Yang! Seriously!" Ruby struggled against her to no avail. "Lemme go!" The harder she struggled, the wider Yang's grin became… until she simply let go and Ruby crashed to the ground. "Ow! That was mean, Yang," Ruby whined.

"Ah, you'll get over it! You'll be fine," Yang brushed her off. "Anyway, you excited yet?"

"Well, I mean, yeah, we've basically spent the last eight years preparing for this!" Ruby gave her a "duh" expression. "I guess I'm just a little nervous about how things are gonna' end up. New place. New people… I doubt anyone will know who we are…" Ruby turned face her sister, who had been anticipating this and replied with a grin.

"Aw, Rubes! Don't be so," a sly look spread across Yang's face as she paused for dramatic effect. "Yang-xious!" Yang stared expectantly at her sister now frozen face, savoring every moment of her silence.

"Did... Did you just?" Yang's smirk became a toothless grin. "… I don't even know why it surprises me anymo-". Ruby was rudely interrupted as Yang rubbed her cheek against Ruby's face. Once more, the sounds of the skysick boy echoed through the ship. Finally, the sisters traced the sound back to the pathetic sight of an ill-armored blonde boy.

"Ooh… That's just sad," Yang stated. "Well, at least we're not in for a future as rough as Barf Boy, right there." As if on cue, the Bullhead rocked as it hit turbulence and Barf Boy finally lost the ability to contain himself. Someone in the distance cursed about their shoes, followed by the weak apologies of the sickly boy. The two sisters focused on the screen parallel to them. The newscaster seemed to drone on about uninteresting events until an image of a man with bright orange hair appeared.

"In other news, an armed robbery was thwarted by Signal Academy Student, Ruby Rose. While we were unable to get a few words from her, we have been told that a full scholarship to Beacon Academy has been awarded. It seems that Beacon truly looks for the best for Remnant's future. If anyone has any information about the man in this picture, please alert your local authorities."

"That's so cool, Rubes! You're totally gonna' have to tell me about it later! I gotta' hear about how **my baby sis** became a child prodigy AND a hero!" Yang followed up with another bear hug.

"Yang, it's not that big of a deal! You know I'm no hero!" Ruby thought back to the entire ordeal the news had referenced. Just as the news reported, it had gotten Beacon's attention and landed her a spot in the largely coveted academy. Truth be told, if they hadn't had their eye on a few particular individuals, Ruby wouldn't have even cared to have gone looking into the recent string of Dust robberies… but then there was that woman… Ruby smirked to herself as she recalled the shocked look in that woman's eyes every time they met. That moment where the only ones that mattered in the world were herself and the woman that knew it was only a matter of time before her own life slipped from her fingertips and she would never know her killer's face… but then the Ozpin's assistant had appeared and ruined the hun-… the moment. Hunting implied she enjoyed herself… Hunting was for Grimm, not humans… but they were so boring… always the same.

While Glynda had been hesitant about Ruby's admission, Ozpin had been overly excited to have Ruby join their ranks, muttering something about silver eyes. But he couldn't have known, could he? Then again, she had once been told to seek out Ozpin if she was in a bind. Of course, Ruby wasn't, so that was neither here nor there. It had been very unnerving, the way Glynda had been eying her the entire time and Ruby was almost certain that she had picked up that Ruby was anything but normal. That could make life at Beacon very difficult if she wasn't careful.

"Of course it is!" Yang dropped Ruby and got into a defensive stance and began punching at the air. "I bet you were all like – haht! Hyut! Hyuh! HIYAAAAH!"

"… You've been playing Legend of Zorldo again, haven't you?" Ruby deadpanned at her sister.

"Hey! It's a fun game!" The brawler defended. "I'm just sayin', you went in all heroic and stuff and saved the day! You're gonna' be popular! Like, so deep in…" Yang considered what she was about to say to her **baby** sister. "You'll be the bee's knees."

"But I don't **want** to be popular. For once, I just want to be a normal girl. You know the kind with normal knees?" Ruby lamented. A tranquil DING hummed over the speakers and a video display of a blonde woman with her hair in a sophisticated bun – Glynda - began an introductory video to Beacon.

 **ooOOoo**

Several students trudged along, aimlessly searching for their destinations. Boots clanking against the Bullhead's off-ramp, Yang reached toward the sky in a powerful stretch and let out a loud yawn to chase away the stiffness from the long flight. Opening a single eye, she decided to cut her moment of bliss short and look for the sister that ran ahead of her. A low rumble shook the ground, followed by an almost Harpy-like shriek and she honed in on a painfully bright-dressed girl who seemed to be really laying into Ruby. Another girl with a bow perched atop her head crept up behind the agitated looking girl, waiting for the perfect moment to chime in. Before the new girl said anything, Yang noted a look of terror spread across the winter-schemed girl's eyes and made a mental note to ask Ruby about it later. For now, Yang decided to watch how it all played out and observe her little sister's… "people skillz".

 **ooOOoo**

"Seriously, you dolt! The least you can do is watch where you're going! Do you even know what this is? This is Dust… You know, DUST!" The irate girl in white held up a vial of red powdered Dust for emphasis. "Mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry!"

"Sorry?" Ruby held up her hands defensively. Still upset, the girl waved around the vial, sending barely visible clouds in Ruby's direction and continued on her rant. Ruby sniffled a little as her nose became irritated by the unseen particles. "uuu… uwwww….uoaaauhh….Aaa-"

"Are you even listening? What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"CHOO!" An explosion encased the angry girl as the sudden force of Ruby's sneeze came into contact with the highly flammable dust. A silent rage permeated through the air as the rampaging girl's pristine white clothes were singed by flames. This was the calm before the storm and Ruby gulped as she prepared for the worst. A loud shriek suddenly pierced Ruby's ears as the singed girl exploded with anger.

"Unbelievable! This is **exactly** what I was talking about! Aren't you a little young to be here? What are you even doing here?!" This girl was really beginning to wear on Ruby's patience. She could almost envision herself choking this girl out. Somewhere along the way, Ruby had tuned her out in preference of her own imagination. When she finally returned to reality, the girl had begun to slow her words and a short-lived look of terror flashed through her eyes. _I swear to_ _Dust, if she questions my ability one more time… Ah, crap. Fix your face, Ruby. You don't want her afraid._

"I said I was sorry, Princess," Ruby spat back.

"It's heiress, actually," a new voice calmly corrected her. Their attention now focused on a new girl – one dressed in black and white with golden eyes and flowing black hair. Atop her head sat a neatly tied black bow, and in her hands, she held a book and a red dust vial. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company – one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." A smug expression weaved across Weiss' face, as she folded her arms.

"Finally, some recognition!"

"Also, known for their questionable business practices." Weiss was taken aback at this accusation.

"What! How dare you!" She snatched the dust vial from the new girl's hands and stormed off, as Ruby giggled to herself. Ruby turned back to ask for the new girl's name, but she was nowhere to be found. The crimson girl pouted to herself.

"Awww… where'd kitty go?" Ruby fell back and exhaled in frustration. "Welcome to Beacon…" It was already off to a pretty rough start and she wasn't particularly fond of dealing with people to begin with. Normally, this was Yang's job. It was different having to get to know new people all over again.

"Hey..." The blonde boy in armor from earlier offered a hand toward her. "I'm Jaune." Ruby laughed and took his hand.

"Ruby." She replied. "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"

 **ooOOoo**

"Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuubes!" A giant mane of blonde hair tackled Ruby and she found herself suffocated in her sister's chest once more. After struggling for a minute, she finally broke free of the infamous Xiao Long Hugger Hold. "I am **so** superstoked right now! How's your first day been going! I see you made a friend!" She eagerly looked at Jaune.

"First off, Yang, how did you find me in this crowd of people? Second… Horrible… I managed to blow someone up and she yelled at me!" Yang straightened up and grinned from ear to ear.

"I know! Oh ho ho ho!" She laughed haughtily.

"What do you mean 'you know'?!" Ruby asked in disbelief.

"Oh yeah! I watched the whole thing! Man, she **reamed** you a new one! I even took commemorative photos! See!" Yang pulled out her Scroll and started showing images to Jaune. "This is the first time Ruby stared out the window on the way to Beacon! This is the first time Ruby fangirled over weapons also on the way to Beacon! And **this…** this is my favorite - the first time Ruby got yelled at by a Schnee at Beacon!..." As Ruby scrambled for Yang's phone, Yang held her at arm's length via the hand-to-forehead technique. "Nope, sis! We're doing this!"

"Yaaaaang," Ruby whined. Suddenly, she froze. It felt as if daggers were being stared into her back.

"Look, Rubes! Your favoritest friend!"

"YOU!" _Oh no…_ Ruby silently prayed to herself before she looked back to find the infamous Weiss Schnee tromping towards her. The crimson-caped girl jumped into her sister's arms for protection.

"Oh God, it's happening again!"

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of a cliff," Weiss scolded.

"Oh my god, you really exploded," Yang mumbled in shock.

"You said you were watching!" Ruby yelled.

"Well… I saw the whole yelling part," Yang laughed weakly. As she let Ruby down, Ruby was met with a pamphlet in her face, boldly labeled with the Schnee name.

"Uh, what's this?" Ruby took it and flipped through it, as Weiss effortlessly recited some sort of ridiculous company disclaimer that Ruby could have sworn she had heard a million times in commercials. The ivory girl took a deep breath before ordering Ruby to read through it and never speak to her again. Yang tried to play peacekeeper between them to no avail and just as she was about to lose her temper, Headmaster Ozpin began his welcome speech. Shortly after, he was followed up by his assistant, Glynda, who laid out the itinerary for the next few days.

 **ooOOoo**

Staring at the ceiling, Ruby laid spread across her mat. She wondered how many knots she could count in the wooden panels that paved the walls. Her thoughts soon drifted off to simpler times when her family had been whole – times before her injury. With her right hand, she traced along the grooves beneath her left long-sleeve. So much still needed to be done and she was still in so much pain - pain that would follow her for the rest of her life, but what mattered was that she had been able to regain the use of her left arm again. It was just… tedious pretending to be normal.

 _ **You can never go back…**_

 _ **I thought I told you I didn't need you...**_

 _ **Reminiscing about the past will only drown you in.**_

 _ **This is your fault anyway.**_

Sometimes, she just wished it would go away, but it was a part of her that would never disappear. It served as a constant reminder that she was indeed cursed and always would be. Cursed and injured, stuck in her own inner turmoil; that's all she truly was. THUMP! Ruby snapped out of her trance, full attention now on the boisterous blonde that had decided to make her presence known.

"Hey, cheer up," Yang said softly. It seemed she had taken notice of Ruby's reminiscing and motioned toward her arm. "C'mon, you're all worried about that when you should be making friends, Rubes! You know, people to hang out with!" Yang took a huge sweeping look across the room. "Guys to look at!"

"Who? Like Jaune?" The aforementioned boy walked past in a onesie and they both giggled to each other. Ruby turned back to Yang, but her face was met with a pillow.

"No! Bleh! Bad! Bad, Ruby!" The same pillow plowed into Ruby's face once again and she was pushed over. "We don't say things like that here!"

"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys here, anyway, Yang."

"Well, I approve," Yang teased, earning a pillow to the face, courtesy of the earlier assault. She patted the matt Ruby laid on and pulled her up. "C'mon! Let's find you some friends!"

"Yang, I don't **know** anyone here!" Ruby turned away from Yang and instantly spotted the dark-haired girl from earlier curled up with candlelight and a book. "Oh, wait, her! The girl from earlier." Seeing an opportunity, Yang grabbed Ruby's hand and eagerly dragged her toward the raven-haired girl, stopping only when they reached her. "Yang, I don't want to do this," Ruby hissed. Yang stood in front of the girl expectantly until she was acknowledged.

"Too late," Yang jeered at Ruby. "Hi!" The girl's golden eyes focus back onto her book.

"…Hi…" She eventually replied when she realized they weren't leaving. Her attention turned to the shyer of the two girls. "Aren't you that girl that blew up earlier?"

"Er, yeah," Ruby scratched at her head nervously. "Name's Ruby!" She reached out hopeful for a handshake. "But you can just call me… er… Well… Ruby." The darker girl turned back to her book and cracked a smile at Ruby's awkwardness.

"Okay."

"What are you doing?!" Yang whispered.

"I don't know! Help me!" Ruby panicked.

"Sooo, I'm Yang – Ruby's **totally** hot stuff big sister!" The busty blonde chimed in. "What's your name?"

"Blake…" Blake flipped her page and continued focusing on the pages. Yang looked from Blake to Ruby and then back to Blake, noticing Ruby intently staring at the darker girl's hair bow.

"I like your bow! It's pretty awesome!" Yang tried to drive the conversation.

"Yeah… it's almost as awesome as this book!... Which I will continue to read… As soon as you're gone…" Yang got the hint.

"Nupe! Boooring! This one's a lost cause. Let's get outta' here, Rubes." Yang turned to walk away but realized Ruby wasn't following. "Rubes?"

"What's it about?" Ruby's question was met with Blake's eyes. "The story, I mean." Blake seemed to be contemplating for a moment.

"A man with two souls that fight for control over his body." As Blake described the story, Yang felt her body run cold and her attention turned to Ruby's arm. As she looked on, she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. _Dammit… and I'm the one that told her not to think about it…_

"Yang used to read to me when I was little when I was scared. Stories about heroes that made the world a better place and drove away evil… That's kinda' why I'm here. I decided to fix all of our mistakes." At the sound of her name, Yang eased into a softer expression as she remembered the days when Ruby was scared and needed her big sister. Hell, now they both needed each other. They were all the other really had. She yawned to herself as the two continued to talk and began to inch towards their sleeping mats.

"That's awfully ambitious for a kid, Ruby. The world can be a terrible place and you can't shoulder all of its problems. If you want to live in a world of dreams, you'll never see the world for what it truly is." Blake and Ruby's eyes connected as if to share their individual stories. They could both see a history of pain and hurt mirror in the other's eyes. Ruby knelt down and cocked her.

"Is that why you hide, Blake?"

"Excuse me?" Ruby peered over her shoulder to make sure Yang had gone.

"I don't know about you, but all I see is the truth." Ruby gave a supportive smile and spoke quietly. "And the truth is that the more you hide, the more you hurt yourself… but don't worry. Your secret's safe, kitty. I'll shoulder your mistakes too. I just wanted to say thank you for earlier, but now, I want you to know that dreams are worth fighting for, so is freedom." Reflecting the moon's light, silver eyes gazed deeply into Blake's golden irises, connecting almost on a spiritual level. The redhead stood tall and shifted a glance toward the shattered moon beyond the window and she spoke in a distant voice. " _The dreams of today are the foundation for the dreams of tomorrow_ … Someone once told me that." With that, Ruby stood up and clumsily waltzed over to Yang, leaving Blake sickly and pale, yet feeling as if she had just experienced something profound… Did she know who she was?

 **ooOOoo**

"Sooo, once we hit the forest, you find me, and we partner up! That's the plan, right, Rubes?" Yang stretched an arm across the opposite shoulder. They were now preparing to run a trial to locate some relic in the middle of the Emerald Forest. As enjoyable as that sounded, most of the other students weren't particularly thrilled about the idea of running into the Grimm - especially Jaune. Save for a few others, Ruby and Yang seemed to be the only ones excited to get some fresh air and exercise.

"All students please step onto a launch pad! Once you have landed, the first fellow student whose eyes you meet will be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin called from behind. "You will each be responsible for your own landing strategy!" Systematically, the pads began to launch students one at a time every few seconds. At this point, Jaune posed a few questions about landing that mostly fell on deaf ears, aside from a red-headed gladiator that seemed focused solely on him. As the red-head launched, Yang put on some shades and prepared for her own launch.

"Mmmm, Yang…" Ruby said nervously. "I think we should see other people!" Ruby twiddled her fingers as Yang's head darted in her direction.

"Wait, wha-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-." Severely caught off-guard, Yang was launched mid-question. Yang watched as the crimson girl spiraled away, happily waving. As for Ruby, she traded expressions for one of determination and focused on her destination. Today, this forest was her proverbial "bitch" and she was going to own it.

 **ooOOoo**

Ruby glided through the air scanning the thick canopy until she found what she was looking for. Finally running out of momentum, Ruby deployed her sniper-scythe, catching a tree branch, looping around it, and landing her feet on said branch. She filled her lungs with the forest air and closed her eyes, pouring out her aura and scanning her surroundings. She would relocate her objective.

"Phew! Well, today's gonna' be a fun one," she said out loud to no one in particular. Collapsing the giant scythe back to its compact form, Ruby attached it to her sash and sped on her way. Half a mile later, Ruby found the forest's lack of Grimm to be a little unnerving, but maybe the teachers cleared the population a bit for the more novice students. Through the trees she spotted a white mass that seemed to be fuming about something. _Oh,_ _just who I was looking for._ Ruby rolled her eyes, took another deep breath, and pushed through the bushes. Apparently, she was loud enough to cause alarm to the heiress. A crack of splintering wood triggered a response from the Schnee girl, who spun around in alarm. Recognition became evident on the heiress' face and the scowl returned to her face.

"Hi!" A nervous smile worked across Ruby's lips and she gave a small wave. Their eyes met for a few moments and Ruby summoned her ability to speak. "Sooo, I guess we're partn-". Weiss spun around and stormed off in the opposite direction of Ruby.

 _ **Smooth**._

 _ **Shut it.**_

"Dammit." Ruby mumbled to herself as she sagged in defeat. A few seconds later, hurried footsteps approached her from the direction Weiss had walked in. Ruby began to reach for Crescent Rose – she really wasn't in any mood for Grimm right now. Instead of an attack, Ruby's collar was snagged by something that dragged her in another direction. At the sight of white heeled boots, Ruby perked up and found the owner of the boots to be Weiss. "You came back!"

"I'm choosing the lesser of two dolts." Weiss huffed. Pinned to a tree by a red and gold javelin Ruby recognized as belonging to Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune waved a timid hello to Ruby. It seemed Ruby was going to indulge Jaune's need for assistance, but Weiss tugged at her collar once more. "Pyrrha will be needing that sooner or later. Look, let's just get this over with… and try not to get in my way." At first, Ruby seemed as if she would defy the heiress, but then she smiled and gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry Jaune, but she's not wrong," Ruby paused. "You think you could hold out for a little longer?" Without giving him time to answer, Ruby trotted off after Weiss.

"Yeah… sure…" Jaune sighed and hunched his over. "I'll just… hang out…"

"Jaune?" He looked up to the see the famed gladiator's timid smile.

 **ooOOoo**

"How about a cute little pony?" Yang held up a golden knight piece. It looked as if all the "relics" were based off of a chess set, with black and gold being the color variations.

"Sure." Blake ventured over to her new partner to examine the piece.

"That wasn't too hard!" The blonde proclaimed.

"Well, it's not like this place was very difficult to find," Blake pointed out. An ill feeling came over her senses and she began to observe their surroundings - whatever was about to happen didn't exactly make for warm feelings. Adding to her anxiety, she couldn't help but keep hearing something that sounded like a gnat getting closer to her ears. Yang noticed a slight twitch from her partner's bow and gasped as realization set in. It had to be a pain in the ass keeping them so still all the time. A thought crossed her mind to ask, but maybe a later time would be better. With one hand, Yang threw her shades on. With the other, she hung it around her new partner's shoulders and pulled her close.

"Stick with me, Blakey, and we're gonna' shine bright like a –oof!" With a blur of red and black, Yang disappeared from Blake's side, leaving her stiffened with surprise. Locating her downed partner, she identified the mass to have been another fellow classmate.

"Nice catch, Yang," came the dizzied voice of Ruby.

"Yeah, no prob, sis," the equally delirious blonde replied. Blake rolled her eyes at the two. Well, that explained the pesky gnat that Blake couldn't get rid of – any longer and her cover might have been blown. "Blakey?"

"What?" Concern riddled the raven-haired girl face as she knelt down to get a better look at the blonde brawler.

"uuhuu…She… came in…" Yang shot up and excitedly readjusted her shades. "Like a wrecking ball!" Blake buried her face in her palm as Yang bounced around triumphantly. Good god, four more years of this and the first day hadn't even started.

"She's been trying to get one of those out all day… Try living with her," Ruby lamented. "She sets a goal every day for jokes and puns. Today was 'Use songs lines in awkward situations'. It gets worse – trust me."

"Sooo, everyone landed a while ago… How did you manage to stay up there this long?" Blake asked as they watched Yang bow to an invisible audience.

"Oh… hahaha… You know…" Ruby laughed weakly and scratched the back of her head. "Creativity?"

"No partner yet?"

"I… wouldn't say that either," the black and red clad girl looked to the side with guilt. A skeptical look spread across Blake's face. **SKRAAAAW**. An ominous shadow blocked out the sun, casting a shadow over the girls. "So, funny story!... And this actually answers **both** those questions!" Yang's arms hung as she hunched over, glasses falling with disbelief.

"Oh my god… that's a Nevermore," the blonde mumbled to herself. Squinting a little harder, Yang spotted something white hanging off the monstrous bird. It suddenly detached and fell with increasing speed… and there it was again - that gnat sound. Blake's bow twitched again with annoyance. "Eeeew! It pooed!"

"…uuuuubyyyyy." _Oh God, why_. It seemed the black and yellow duo's day was just getting better. Of course, the heiress would drop in. Ruby's eyes bulged at the sight of the heiress and she disappeared in a flurry of rose petals. The crimson girl reappeared behind Yang, taking shelter behind her older sister. Weiss began to roll in the sky, attempting to slow her rate of fall a bit, before summoning a black glyph on the ground. The closer she came to the ground, the bigger Yang's smile grew until she turned around and began pawing at Ruby.

"Oh my god, oh my god! She's **totally** gonna' do the Super Hero Landing!" Looping an arm around Ruby's neck and smashing their cheeks together, she pointed excitedly at the heiress. "Lunch on me says she **totally** does the Super Hero Landing!"

"But… you're paying for lunch anyw-"

" **ROSE**!" The heiress landed heavily in a kneeling position and Yang threw both her arms in the air. Before locking her malicious sights on her partner, Weiss stood up and straightened her clothing out before marching toward her partner.

"Yes! Did you see that, Rubes?! That was **totally** the Super Hero Landing!" The blonde wiggled around excitedly and Blake shook her head. She grimaced and further resigned herself to the fact that this was fate's way of punishing her for her past misdeeds.

"How could you just leave me up there?!" Weiss grabbed Ruby by the collar and pulled her close, only to have Yang grab her wrist firmly. That had definitely sucked the light-hearted vibe out of the air.

"What the hell is your problem?" A dangerous look carved its way onto Yang's face and Weiss' grip loosened as she was reminded of Ruby the day before.

"Yang, stop!" Ruby re-focused on Weiss. "I said 'Jump'," Ruby offered nervously. Another yell cut through the sky as Jaune flew across the tree tops, catching him on a bunch of branches. Now calm, Yang grinned at yet another opportunity.

"Hey, Jaune!" The blonde waved widely at him. The boy turned to look at her and waved back. "How's it hangin'?" The boy sighed. He was quickly becoming a laughing stock throughout the day.

"Oh, you know. A little to the side – "

"Ew!"

" **Of a tree**!" _Note to self: Better word placement._

Behind Jaune, the loud cracking of branches resounded as the forest screamed. A large bone-plated black bear bucked into sight. With a mighty roar, it stood on its hind legs before toppling over, with a thin orange-haired girl rolling off its back.

"Awww, Ren, it broked!" She pouted to a green-clad boy with a pink stripe in his otherwise short, black hair.

"uuaaah…. Haaah… Nora," Ren gasped for air. "Let's… **never** do that again!" He looked to the Ursa and found the hyperactive girl to be missing. At this rate, he was never going to be able to keep up with her. He found the girl looking through the remaining chess piece relics and trotted over to see her selection was a rook.

"I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" Nora triumphantly sang. Bulged eyes followed her as she zipped over to Ren.

"Did they just ride in here on an Ursa?" Yang asked in disbelief. As if to add to the day's oddities day, Jaune's gladiator partner dashed out from the woods on the other side, pursued by a giant bone-plated scorpion – a Death Stalker. The athletic superstar tucked and rolled as was needed to dodge swipes from its gigantic pincers and stabs from its lethal tail. "Oh, seriously! What! Does **everyone** **else** get a way more awesome introduction than us?!" Yang let out a scream of frustration and golden flames radiated from her body. Her once lilac eyes turned a dangerous hue of red and it was Game Time.

 **ooOOoo**

The graying headmaster looked on as he watched the last four pairs of students dispatch two high classed Grimm. While he showed no surprise, his assistant stood baffled at the idea that they had come out unscathed. In one panel, the Death Stalker fell into a seemingly endless canyon. In the other, pale blue glyphs trailed up a cliffside and a young scythe-wielder caught a Nevermore in the momentum at which she had been launched. Reaching the top, it was beheaded and the body doomed to the Death Stalker's fate. As she peered out at her friends, her cape was caught in the wind and her semblance's telltale petals fluttered away.

"Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc…" Ozpin's musings earned a grimace from Glynda. "This should be a most interesting year."

* * *

 **A/N: So glad this is done! Next chapter starts the true story. Thanks for sticking with me so far! This chapter is longer than most of what I write – usually half of this. Do you guys like longer chapters or mid-length? As for Ruby's arm, while it won't be out in the open for a few chapters, you should be able to guess part of it. I don't have a regular update schedule, but I'll try to be as regular as possible.**


	3. Partners: Part I

**A/N: Holy crap, 86 followers? Thanks for checking out Fear: Reap! I had a lot of multi-tasking going on between proofreading and giving feedback to my audio engineer. It's been an exciting week for me and I will be out of town this weekend! WOOT! Before I begin, shoutout to InductionMagnet for letting me know about my failed attempts at Line Breaks. I probably never would have realized they didn't show up XD. Fair warning for this chapter, though: I previously mentioned there would be drastic OoC moments. Starting toward the end of this chapter, I'll be building more of the OoC portions of my AU. It's gonna' get a little dark before it gets brighter, especially later on, but that's not to say I'm trashing bubbly Ruby and her trusty friends… I just don't have much experience writing happy characters. I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone a bit, so feedback is much appreciated! This fic is heavily based on understanding that people have different sides to them – the parts we want the world to see and the parts we don't. Also, another note: Some dust and aura use may seem a bit non-canon, as well. I'm also attributing this to my AU and OoC warning.**

 **UPDATE: While I use Font Styles to accent certain things like noises and volume, I do have certain thought-based assignments for each style. I'd like to make a little Text Key real quick to make it less confusing. I'd also like to note that while it is to be expected that Remnant speaks its own languages (Remni languages), this story will feature a tie with Earth and a few characters speak English (since I don't know any other languages).**

 _Italicized – Past events/Dreams/Represents Ruby's resolve against the voice/Character thoughts_

 **Bold – External voice invading others' thoughts.**

 _ **Bold Italics – Speaking English.**_

 _ **Bold Underlined Italics**_ _ **– Voice in Ruby's head. Interaction unique to Ruby. This is also in English.**_

* * *

" _Hey… hey… are you awake?" The voice was so tiny but familiar. She felt a buzz of warmth as a she recalled the face of the owner… but she only drew a blank… She'd been here before. Why was it always so hard?_

" _Hey…" She opened her eyes and stared sadly at the featureless face before her… such a tiny person. She struggled to remember who this person was, but all she could remember was a young boy. They had both been similar in age when they had met, but for some reason, she couldn't remember why he had always seemed so sad. There were so many things she couldn't remember about him; just that something was off about him… and those two features. Red hair, so much like Ruby's... Wait... Ruby? Who was Ruby?_

 _Bright eyes and an equally bright smile flashed through her mind and she smiled. She just needed a moment to gather her thoughts and remember. That's right - Ruby. She could recall her face in an instant. Ruby and this boy; they mirrored each other so much. She recalled that boy could also have the brightest smile, but just like Ruby, there was sometimes this dark hole that stared through people, but unlike Ruby, his eyes were a piercing red and Ruby's were a sharp steel._

" _I miss you, Weiss."_

" _I miss you too, R-…" What was she going to say?... R?… What was his name? They had known each other for almost a year and she had called him his name every single day. She remembered that… Why had they separated? Where was he now?_ _ **She needed him… WHY WASN'T HE WITH HER?**_

" _Weiss?..."_

" _R-…" She opened her mouth to say his name, but nothing came out. She knew his name. She knew she did._

" _Please?" The sadness in his eyes conveyed a great hurt as his voice broke. "You always say it, Weiss… Just say it," he pleaded. "I remember you!" But Weiss was silent. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't recall his name – only the R-sound._

" _I can't." The words echoed in the darkness that surrounded them and everything became still between them. She had broken him. Everything that little boy had ever meant to her was simply gone. He was gone. Everything was gone… And along with him were the memories. "…You died…" A bright light pierced the darkness from behind Weiss and the boy shielded his eyes as the automatic doors split. Still, the only thing Weiss could make out were those piercing crimson gems. He had always been an enigma to her. A figure stood in the doorway and beckoned Weiss to return to the other side, but the boy grasped her arm._

" _Don't leave me!" He was desperate. "I'm not dead yet!"_

" _I have to go. If I stay here…"_

" _I'll protect you! All you need to do is-" He ran toward the door at full speed._

" _No! Don't!" Heart-racing, Weiss reached after him but she was too late. Her eyes widened as the boy jumped in the air, lunging after whoever stood beyond. Time froze and something slender blew through the boy's chest, dragging a long trail of blood behind it. With a sudden force, he was knocked in the opposite direct and a large pale blue glyph stood boldly in the air. The boy's blood spattered against it and he fell to the ground limp and lifeless. Weiss fell to her knees, unable to make a sound, tears burning at her eyes… they flowed. With an unrelenting force, the gates to the damn broke and her emotions raged._

 _ **Just call me what you always do.**_

 **ooOOoo**

Weiss' eyes shot open and hot tears poured from them. She brought her hand to her mouth to muffle her crying and rolled away from where the rest of her team slept. If anything, she didn't want them wake up and see her this way. It wasn't the first time she had had this dream and it certainly wouldn't be the last. It had, however, been the first time she had drawn a comparison to Ruby in that dream.

Normally, Weiss was alone with the boy until an unknown person entered the room and murdered him. They were the only two that ever appeared and Weiss could recall nothing of the world outside that dream or even that moment. This time, when she tried to remember his face, she thought of Ruby… Had he always looked like that though? Or was she just projecting Ruby's image onto him since she was someone easily recognizable? She didn't know. All she could remember about the incident was that she had been powerless to stop it. He had been her first true friend and she failed because she had yet to access her glyphs. Ironically, that very same incident was what unlocked them - the pain of being so utterly helpless… so useless. Her tears now dry; she rolled onto her back and wiped the remains away.

Dimly lit curtains, silence – minus the breathing of the blonde and hot tears: These were the very things the heiress now associated with dawn, whereas back in her home in Atlas, it had simply been tears and utter silence. Black out curtain had long since destroyed any chance of sunlight peeking through and left her to determine the time of day herself because "Schnee are always aware". It had been her father's ploy at self-awareness and discipline.

Here, after the tears subsided, this was a time where she could simply relax in the world beyond her closed eyes during those last few moments before she began her wake-up routine. On any other occasion, she would listen for the tweets of morning birds, signaling it was time to hit the shower before the others could wake up… but her bed offered comfort she felt she needed more than usual this morning and the birds gifted her with a serene song and she felt herself becoming calm. Five more minutes could be spared.

 **SCREEEEEEE**

"What in Dust's name is that?!" With the speed of a hawk, Weiss bolted from her comfort zone, locating the caped leader that grinned behind the whistle clenched in her teeth. Behind her, Blake shifted and sandwiched her head between two pillows - clearly a futile attempt at ignoring this morning's commotion. "Ruby, I swear to God if I hear that thing one more time – ." A loud groan from above Blake cut the heiress off.

Exemplifying a grace only rivaled by that of a lethargic koala, Yang flopped over the side of her bunk and hit the ground face-first. How she had not managed to take the bed with her was beyond Weiss, so she supposed there was some amount of elegance to her display. Still post-faceplant, the older sibling reached around aimlessly, finally settling on the desk centered between the bunks. The zombified girl pulled herself up before staggering toward her sister, pausing only to scratch. A yelp of surprise escape the smaller sister as Yang hooked a leg around one of Ruby's and took her down to the ground and proceeded to... cuddle.

"Yang!... C'mon! It's time to get up!" Try as she might, Ruby's attempts to squirm from Yang's clutches were all for naught. In fact, it only furthered the painful process as the blonde held her closer and mumbled mid-sleep.

"Mmm… no… sleepy sleep, Rubes… we'll go to the park," Yang let out a yawn. "Later." With that last word, the blonde returned to her previous comatose state. In a last ditch effort, Ruby managed to free an arm and took a deep breath, sending a fresh wave of panic through the heiress.

"Ruby, I swear to God, if you-" SCREEEEEEEEEEEE-urk! It seemed that Blake shared much the same sentiment as Weiss, as the pillow that had previously completed Blake's "Silence Sandwich" slammed into Ruby's face - an act of war apparently enough to wake the sleeping giant.

"What gives, Blake!" Still embracing her sister, Yang glared at her darker counterpart.

"Unlike you, some of us can't just sleep through bombs and whistles," Blake snapped back. As if to emphasize Blake's point, Ruby gleefully gave a short chirp to the whistle. A sigh escaped the blonde and she gave an unamused look to her bubbly baby sister. An awkward silence ensued and Ruby became unnerved under her sister's stare until Yang inched uncomfortably closer and closer to Ruby's face. The faint click of teeth against metal could be heard as Yang casually relieved Ruby of the whistle. Whistle still in mouth, Yang calmly climbed back up to her bunk and dropped back onto the mattress to resume her slumber. This left Blake and Weiss to their own mental conflictions over whether they had just witnessed something was really hot or extraordinarily creepy. Instead, they both elected to block that out and pretend it never happened.

"Yaaaang! You still have to get up!" A quick middle finger was the response Ruby received. "We have Miss Goodwitch's class first and we have to do stretches," Ruby huffed. A loud exhale came from across the room as Weiss directed her attention toward Blake.

"Clearly, we're not going back to sleep at this rate." The heiress stood up and grabbed her frosty battle attire. "If any of you need me, I'll be 'waking up' in the shower…" _Heeeh, heeeh, heeeh._ Perverse laughter grew from Yang's mattress. In response to the heiress' comment, the blonde's sly face peeped over the side.

"Hey, do you want some help 'waking up'?" The question was riddled with the blonde's whimsical nature and all was silent as the brawler grinned smugly, resulting in a quick change of the ivory girl complexion to a flustered red. Grabbing the first item on her person, a wad of cloth was slung in Yang's direction, hitting her in the face and tangling itself in her bangs. Detangling the item from her hair, Yang's mischievous grin gained a fox-like quality and Ruby blushed at the new ammo for her sibling's arsenal. "Well, Princess, you move awfully fast! I'm flattered, but I usually prefer to take them off, myself!" She winked and blew a kiss, before sling-shotting Weiss' lacy panties back to her. With an inward scream and no words to combat the champagne-maned vixen, Weiss slammed the bathroom door behind her. The two sisters shared a look and Ruby shook her head at Yang. "What! You wanted me up! I'm up!" The more reticent member of the team just stared on in shock. Having witnessed this morning's events, Blake wasn't even sure if she was ready to start the day.

 **ooOOoo**

"Oh my God, we made it!" Yang collapsed behind the desk as the bell rang. The rest of Team RWBY followed suit with Yang sitting at one end of the group and Weiss on the other. A fidgety Blake sat between the sisters and awkwardly twiddled her thumbs, hoping to put distance between this morning's uncomfortably close kin. From her peripheral, Yang noticed her partner's apprehension and attempted to put her at ease with a shameless coo into her ears. "You alright, Blakey?" At the sound of her nickname, Blake's panic ceased and she pulled away. Why did everything the blonde did have to seem so suggestive.

"Oh… er… Yeah! I just…" Amber eyes danced about looking for any excuse, landing on the chocolate chip cookie in her leader's mouth… Ruby's mouth… Yang… so close… Visibly, she shuddered and shook the thoughts away. "I forgot to eat!"

"Oh… well, that's not good! This is a terrible class to forget to eat before!" Wrapping an arm around Blake and bringing her in close, Yang looked around as if to make sure no one was listening in on a secret. After ensuring the coast was clear, she whispered into Blake's ear, sending shivers down her spine. "Ask Rube's for a cookie. I'm sure she won't mind." Yang shifted Blake's head to place the crimson and coal girl in her line of sight. As she sobbed into a cookie, poor Ruby was still being scolded by her partner over this morning's antics. "I'm sure she'd love some saving, right no~ow," Yang ended in a singsong. She grinned and cupped her hands around her mouth for a makeshift speaker. "Rubes… Pssst!... Rubes…" The unruly girl's volume rose with every word as she tried to get her sister's attention. "… **Rubes!** " Cookie still hanging from her mouth, Ruby looked over her shoulder and acknowledged her sister. If she didn't, she'd only get louder… and then Weiss would yell more. "Give Blakey a cookie!" At the notion of indicting someone else into the 'Chocolate Chip Camaraderie', Ruby hastily dished out two cookies, placing one between a stupefied Blake's lips and letting it hang there. Clueless, the girl returned to her scolding, while the older sibling snickered at Blake's expense. Sighing in defeat, Blake closed her amber eyes and nibbled at the treat. There was no use arguing when it came to these two. A loud thud crashed into the desk behind Blake's head and Team RWBY became the center of attention.

"Miss Xiao Long!" The stern voice of Miss Goodwitch caused Yang's posture to straighten. "Since Team RWBY is so energetic this morning, maybe you would like to start off today's demonstrations." Yang gradually raised her hand and opened her mouth to say something. "That wasn't a question, Miss Xiao Long." Yang hunched over in defeat. The stern huntress scanned the array of semi-conscious students, settling on the other rowdy bunch of students. "Team JNPR!" Excitable as ever, Nora threw her hands in the air with an loud 'Yes!'. "… Miss Nikos and Mister Arc will have this morning's honor of sparring with…" The combat instructor squinted her eyes in RWBY's direction. "Miss Rose and Miss Schnee." Pyrrha's face lit up with an open smile and Nora hunched over with a disappointed 'Nooo', as Ren tried to console her. Nora had been hoping to have a partners vs partners round with Ruby and Weiss, but it seemed it wasn't in the cards. Ren shuddered at the idea of both Ruby and Nora in the same ring together. On the other end of his team, the red-and-gold gladiator looked to her partner to find the horrified face of a statuesque Jaune and she lightly shook him from his trance. "Will the four of you please make your way to the arena," Miss Goodwitch extended an arm in the direction of their destination. Fired up, Ruby attempted to leap over her desk, but a firm tug to her crimson cape halted her and a few tears for her lost excitement formed in her eyes.

"Have some manners, you dolt!" The icy heiress looked at the cape clenched in her hand. "This is going to be your undoing, you know. You should get rid- ." A firm grip enclosed her alabaster wrists, squeezing tightly enough to cause her to release the cloth. This in turn caused Ruby to tumble down this stairs with an audible 'Ow' at the end of her journey and several snickers from somewhere across the room. Scarlet eyes pierced Weiss' heart as the older sister glared at her.

"The cape stays," Yang growled. "She can wear it all she wants." With a loud gulp, Weiss nodded and hurriedly walked toward the arena contemplating the suddenness of the blonde's near heart-stopping change of attitude. She looked back, finding Yang to have returned to her usual grinning self, throwing victory Vs at her little sister. Meanwhile, Blake maintained her iconic monotone expression, albeit with a cookie still hanging out her mouth and a small white Team RWBY pennant flag – courtesy of the busty blonde.

"Today you will be limited to only your weapons and semblances. We will begin a unit on performance without the use of projectile weaponry and dust. You will be graded on how you perform under these circumstances," Glynda paused and shot a glare at Jaune. "I should expect this to be right up your alley, Mister Arc… though I won't expect much at all…" She returned her full attention to the entire group. "You will be given a moment to formulate strategies and then we will begin. For now, I will start up the Aura Monitors. At 30% aura, you will be considered knocked out and leave the arena. Miss Schnee and Miss Nikos will act as support units today. Good luck."

…No dust? Weiss froze. It had never even crossed her mind that she would be under-prepared for a fight… but she supposed she could be caught off-guard on the streets. So how was she supposed to act as a support unit for her partner if she was stripped of her bare necessities? Her semblance was severely dependant on dust to perform at its best.

"Relax, Weissy!" The ball of determination before her gave her a double thumbs up. "We got this!" Worried baby blues met unwavering silver pools and Weiss resolved herself to matching her partner's determination. Withdrawing Myrtenaster, Weiss held her blade before her in perfect fencing posture. The klutz was right. It was funny how the dolt's can-do attitude truly made everything feel possible… Maybe she would apologize about the cape comment later, but first, she needed an added incentive.

"If you do a good job, I will buy you cookies." Fire set the younger girl's eyes ablaze and she flared her nostrils.

"Let's do this!" The Aura Monitors came online and initiated, signaling to begin… Oh shit! They hadn't even discussed a strategy.

"I see Miss Rose has a lot of confidence for a team taking the 'just wing it' approach," Miss Goodwitch chastised. Cleary, they were already not off to a good start. Taking obvious bait, Ruby rushed in toward Jaune.

"Wait, you dolt!" Ruby deployed Crescent Rose and activated her speed semblance. Frozen in place, Jaune stood ready to cry as Ruby's hulking scythe drew ever closer. That thing could cleave him clear in half! Any closer and he would most likely piss himself. Closer… Closer… Closer… He closed his eyes tightly in anticipation of the blade… but it never came. Cautiously opening one eye, he found Crescent Rose frozen in place, with Ruby struggling to make it budge. "Ruby, what are you doing?! Move!"

"I can't, Weiss!" Ruby pulled harder, but it appeared Crescent Rose was fixed in place.

"Just let go of Crescent Rose!" She'd have to learn to part with it someday, even if it was just for a short time.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called to him. He nodded in acknowledgement and drew his sword, swiping at Ruby, but he was met with resistance in the form of a large white glyph – Weiss's basic platform type to be exact. Okay, so that was cool. It had a defensive property to it. Nice one!

The ivory girl came running to Ruby's aid and it was then that Jaune remembered the battle plan. Pyrrha had definitely called this one and it was all dependent on Weiss' reaction. Unfortunately, Weiss arrived a little more quickly than Pyrrha had anticipated, so it seemed they would have to regroup. The heiress tugged at Ruby but began to panic when Ruby couldn't move. The younger girl seemed to be stuck by some sort of force pinning her arm to Crescent Rose. This was highly unexpected but set the plan back on track. Heavy footsteps rushed in from behind Jaune and Ruby panicked.

"Weiss, get outta' here!" Weiss looked back and forth between Ruby and the oncoming gladiator.

"Ruby, let go of the damn scythe!" Weiss tugged harder. There wasn't much she could do in this situation. Jaune wasn't much of a problem but Pyrrha, on the other hand, was a force to be reckoned with. What exactly did they do to Ruby?... Wait… Speaking of Boy Wonder, where the hell did he go?! For the life of her, Weiss couldn't find him… then it hit her… metaphorically. She glanced up to see him falling with all the grace of hatchling's first flight as he struggled to straighten himself out.

"I can't!... Go!" With her free hand, Ruby pushed Weiss back and sent her flying back in time for Jaune to come crashing down from the air. Effectively, they had been split up by the shield-and-weapon duo. It seemed that while Weiss had been focused on freeing Ruby, Pyrrha had somehow launched him into the air. Ruby had caught this but how could she have not? She watched the distance between herself and Ruby increase. As she skidded across the ground, she forced herself to look in Ruby's direction and she felt time slow, just like in her dream.

 _I'll protect you!_

Jaune bashed Ruby with his shield and the force that had previously held Ruby in place released her, letting the girl in red collapse alongside her scythe. As Weiss came to an abrupt stop, she scrambled to sit up, but a red-and-gold shield slammed hard into her side. The shield boomeranged itself back to its owner and Pyrrha launched Jaune at Weiss for a final strike.

"Match over!" Glynda shook her head at the red and white duo. That was a horrible match for them, but she found it curious to see Ruby lock up like that. She would have to look into it further at a later time. Maybe the girl's performance during the Dust robbery had just been her imagination. Maybe she didn't need to be here, after all. Ozpin's judgment sometimes made little sense, but she would have to trust in him… But that didn't mean had to overlook her concerns. It was part of why he had selected Glynda. The man had a vivid imagination and someone had to reign him in and put that energy into something constructive.

"Nice, guys!" Ruby chirped as she hopped back up, almost unphased. She held up Crescent Rose and used it as a staff to walk herself over to Weiss, who she offered a hand to. As for Weiss, she had sat up and focusing intently on the ground. She had failed… again. Sure, no one would die this time, but what about next? It always seemed she didn't have enough strength. Back then, if only she had unlocked her glyphs. Now, if only she had Dust. She balled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. "Hey, Weiss…"  
The heiress briefly snapped out of her self-loathing and looked into those gleeful silver eyes, noticing her outstretched hand… but she wasn't worthy… Weiss pushed her hand away and stood herself up, leaving behind a solemn Ruby and their disapproving sparring partners with without a word.

"You okay?" Jaune asked. "That was kind of rude."

"Yeah," Ruby sighed. She had noticed the change in Weiss' demeanor as soon as she had gotten stuck. "She's probably blaming me… It **is** kinda' my fault." The four returned to their seats and Glynda began a lecture about remaining calm and maintaining awareness of one's surroundings. She then called forth the next match's participants.

"Miss Xiao Long and Miss Belladonna, please take the stage with Mister Lie Ren and Miss Valkyrie."

"Don't worry, baby sis! We'll avenge you and the Ice Queen!" Aviators on, Yang acted coolly and waved as she took to the arena with the other three participants. Taking advantage of the new match, Pyrrha voiced her concerns over the results of their own match.

"Ruby, is everything alright?" Pyrrha rarely spoke during lessons, but the incident with Ruby freezing had alarmed her. The gladiator's greatest fear was that her own power was for too great for her to control… and if she had hurt a friend.

"Yeah! Totally fine!" Pyrrha looked at her fellow crimsonness skeptically. Sometimes, she was just way too happy for her own good.

"Are you sure? You couldn't move earlier." Her stomach flipped as she thought about Ruby's eyes widening when she realized she couldn't budge. Weiss has seemed equally horrified and Pyrrha honestly thought that the opening that it had provided was the only reasoning she and Jaune had fared so well. Taking one of them should have been fine, but more than one member of Team RWBY should have proven to be far more of a challenge with Jaune. That wasn't a shot at him; he just had a lot of room for improvement and Pyrrha was certain that he would one day stand tall among the best… with her at his side.

"Uhhh, yeah, that just… happens… sometimes?" Ruby laughed weakly, but Weiss had caught it.

"Just happens sometimes?" Weiss shrieked in a loud whisper. "You cost us an entire match because you were reckless!"

"Yo, relax, Weiss!" Jaune defended his fellow team captain. Weiss could be pretty hostile, but all of that animosity toward Ruby in the beginning had died down. Where the hell was it all coming back from? "Everyone has a bad match! Last I checked, you didn't do anything!" Silence… "Uh, Weiss?" He was right. She hadn't done anything… except for being distracted by the past. A random tear slipped from one of her eyes as she remembered her failure again. Though different circumstances, Ruby wasn't the only one that had frozen. "I didn't mean to make her cry!"

Back at the arena,the BYRN match went a little less horrible for the BY half of Team RWBY, but ultimately ended in the same results. Yang and Ren had been assigned to the more offensive tasks, while their partners were to act as support. Marking Blake as their most difficult obstacle, she was quickly knocked out by a flailing hammer, leaving Yang on her own. The blonde managed to last a while longer, to no avail. With Nora as hyper as she was, she couldn't sit still and maintained a lot of air time. Yang had been locked in her own personal bout with Ren when Nora shouted from above.

"Hey, Ren!"

"A little busy here, Nora," the quiet boy grunted.

"Do you want me to put the hammer down?" He could practically feel the waterfall of glee gushing from above.

"That would be nice, Nora." Having noted that Yang didn't guard her feet particularly well, Ren dropped down and swept Yang out from under her feet. Her eyes turned to the sky just in time to see a large flat hunk of metal falling toward her. She grinned to herself as she activated her semblance and… nothing…

"Well, that's not fair at all," were the last words the brawler muttered to herself before impact.

"NORA SMASH!"

"…While Miss Valkyrie ought to learn the meaning of **support** , I do suppose that was more or less a correct demonstration,"Miss Goodwitch called the end of the match. Hobbling to her feet, Yang offered fist bumps to the sorely mismatched duo, all-the-while keeping a hand on her back to provide support.

"Good game. Ow, hahah," she laugh weakly. Yang staggered to the exit where Blake waited to help her return to her seat.

"I see you two didn't fare much better," Weiss stated listlessly. Noticing the heiress' forced attempt at nitpicking, Yang quirked an eyebrow at Ruby, who shrugged.

"To be fair, we **did** all ignore Ruby when she suggested we stretch earlier," Blake offered.

"Ah, can it, Princess! We lasted longer than you two," Yang pulled an eye lid down and stuck her tongue out. Maybe some playful banter would revitalize the down princess. She didn't like her very much, but this was better than watching Ruby sulk until the heiress returned to normal. "Way I see it; you don't have much room to talk." Wrapping her arms behind her head, Yang kicked back and relaxed.

"I see we can't be civil, today," the heiress hissed. There was that spunk the blonde was looking for!

"Guyssss, stop fighting!" Ruby pouted. Loud pounding echoed from the arena as other nameless individuals did just as poorly, if not worse than others.

"Listen, Ruby, the cape I can forgive, but the attachment to your weapon is a bit ridiculous! Couldn't you just let-." Weiss was interrupted by a series of loud snickers.

"Well, look! If it isn't Team Loser!" A tall armored brute with short brown hair hulked over them.

"I beg your pardon?" Weiss shot around to stare holes into him. Ruby touched her partner's shoulder to try to distract her.

"Weiss, it's not worth it."

"Only thing I see around her that isn't worth it is the Schnee heiress. I thought you were all supposed to be some serious shit! That was sad!" He continued to prod, making her blood boil.

"Weiss, don't –" Weiss pushed Ruby back.

"And just who are you?"

"Oh, me? I'm Cardin – **captain** of Team CRDL. You know, the position you wanted on your team," he winked as he delivered a low blow. "Unlike you, I actually won my match, and that's the rest of my team down there **winning theirs**." He raised his arm over his shoulder and directed his thumb behind him while tilting his head in the same direction. Down in the arena, it was true. The other half of his team was winning their match against some poor schmucks who could barely hold their own weapons.

"That's not even a challenge!"

"And you are?" Cardin raised an entertained eyebrow at her, implying he viewed them as worthless competitors.

"Hey, Weiss is really awesome! Don't be so mean," Ruby puffed her cheeks. "We just had an off day!" Cardin shifted his attention toward the girl with a childish cloak. With one hand, he grabbed her hood and lifted her up.

"Well, look at you trying to be a super hero! Sorry to break it to you, but she's probably as useless as a Schnee gets." Weiss began to get more upset with him, but at that moment a gust of heat emanated from behind them. She peered back to find red eyes peering through an aura that seemed to make Yang's flowing lochs dance in flames. It was only a matter of time before Yang's temper would get the better of her, so Weiss shouldered her pride and pursued a different goal: Diffuse the situation before two brutes had to be dealt with. At least, this was something she knew was within her ability.

"Ruby, it's not even that big of a deal." As if to make matters worse, the rest of Cardin's team added their presences into the mix and Weiss hesitated for a moment. _A Schnee never hesitates._ "A- As I was saying, I'm not even that mad anymore. We should just carry on…" Her voice became hushed and she spoke through clenched teeth. "Before your sister gets carried away." It seemed Yang further emphasized Weiss' point with an increase in temperature.

"Hah! Look at this, guys! She thinks I'm gonna' be afraid of some blonde bimbo full of hot air!" A chorus of laughter erupted from the rest of Team CRDL. At that moment, the "blonde bimbo" calmly stood and walked over to him, golden flames still burning.

"It would be wise to let go," she stated.

"Yang, they just want to harass me. I'll take – ." Weiss cut off as she was shoved backward into Blake. It seemed everyone had a thing for pushing her around today.

"This has nothing to do with you right now, Princess." For the first time, both Blake and Weiss felt fear toward the blonde. They were used to her getting angry. They were used to her being overprotective of Ruby. Hell, they were even used to the flames! But a Yang that was so angry she was calm was something they had yet to experience… This Yang terrified them. This Yang held resolve even while wearing a murderous glare. This Yang meant to gravely harm their oppressor. This Yang was one that only Ruby had ever known. "I'll ask one last time: Let my sister go."

"Yang, don't worry about it! It's not that serious," Ruby laughed awkwardly as she hung from her cloak.

"Oooh! Fellas! It's getting a bit hot in here! A bit of fire to go with all that burn from earlier!" Looking back at his team, he inquired. "Don't you guys think this rag would look good in flames?" That did it - the point of no return. The smile on Ruby's face dropped and her eyes widened in shock, reliving a past of horrors and torment that no one could imagine. _**Little Rose, stay away from that place.**_ Her eyes developed a listless look and Ruby lost herself to this imaginary world the voice bade her to avoid. Weiss remembered those eyes. The eyes she saw when she first met Ruby… It was probably how Weiss looked in the arena earlier.

"What is going on here?" Enough had gone on to grasp Miss Goodwitch's attention and Weiss was the first to answer.

"Cardin's picking on Ru-."

"Cardin was just challenging us to a match," Ruby said from behind darkened eyes. With an audible pat, her right hand firmly grasped his wrist. "In fact, he was putting me down so we could ask you to sanction it." A small, eerie grin worked its way across Ruby's lips and Blake felt her heart stick in her throat. In the beginning, she had almost believed she imagined the Ruby from their first real conversation - the one that seemed far more complex than the cheery girl she had experienced every day since. Their first meeting never alluded to any ill-intentions - it was merely that she toyed with her about her bow… but this time; this Ruby seemed almost wicked and icy words complemented Yang's silent anger.

"Really?" Cardin looked stupefied. He shrugged before dropping her. "Your funeral."

"Miss Rose, there's really no need. Your team should be taking this time to recover."

"If you check our meters, you'll find that Yang and I have fully recovered… and Cardin and his partner here didn't take any damage, right?" Cardin grinned smugly in response. "Yang and I would just **love** to demonstrate what we learned by watching Good Ol' Cardin here!" Miss Goodwitch seemed to consider for a moment and she sighed. It wouldn't hurt to let them have a redemption match… but something about the two sisters seemed very off at the moment. Intrigued, she also filed this away for later.

"Very well, if you insist." She spun around to proceed with filling out the parameters for the match. Hyping themselves up for the upcoming match, Cardin and Russell began their venture back to the arena, boasting about how quickly this would be over. Letting curiosity getting the better of them, Team JNPR buzzed over to Blake and Weiss, inquiring about the match.

"Want me to break his legs?" It was disturbing how enthusiastic Nora's offer was.

"No, apparently Ruby and Yang are going to fight them," Weiss rolled her eyes as she responded. This caused Nora color to drain from her face and her normally happy demeanor traded out for a far more sober one. The now tame girl clung closely to Ren's arm and she became withdrawn.

"What did you say?" Concerned looks centered on Nora's strange reaction. It appeared that Ren had also become equally apprehensive and opted to focus on the sisters. Intense expressions decorated the faces of Ruby and Yang as they shared a look with one another. Taking that as a cue, Ruby unclasped her cape and calmly folded it, before laying it neatly in front of Weiss. She then removed her skirt, revealing black shorts of a similar cut to Yang's.

"Watch that, would you." Ruby stated more rhetorically than anything. Sharing another look, the now mostly black and yellow duo casually began their walk toward the arena as if they hadn't a care in the world. On arrival, neither sister deployed their weapon. Where the hell did the cookie monster and the perverted bimbo go?

"Ren, I'm scared."

* * *

 **A/N: So I actually had a lot of fun writing this one. Seems I got kinda' carried away. I know I said in the last chapter that I had planned for 2000ish word chapters, but whoops . . Anyway, the next chapter should be even more fun. Bill Gopher, you VERY close to what's going on with Ruby's arm. It is partly, in a sense. I'm honestly not sure how to describe it without giving it away haha. It'll come in multiple explanations throughout chapters, though; DO approach the explanations that Ruby gives with the same regard as how the Joker explains his scars in The Dark Knight. It's not the same, but similar. Ruby will have a personality to where she doesn't necessarily lie – she just omits parts of the truth. You'll notice a common theme with seemingly obvious things throughout this story though. A lot of things will be painted one way, just to come back later as something completely different. Anyway, thanks for reading! Subscribe! Let me know what you think! I'm gonna' stop talking… typing now.**


	4. Partners: Part II

**AN: Back again with the next chapter. A few things to note: It was brought up that Yang's semblance was portrayed poorly last chapter. That is true; however, that was done on purpose. Now is probably a good time to bring up that this does not follow cannon as it is an AU. If you're here to see Ruby and Yang portrayed exactly as they are in the show, this isn't the fic for you. Please understand that both Ruby and Yang's semblances do not operate the same in this fic as they do in the show. This becomes increasingly more important and begins to show in this chapter. These changes are both subtle and extreme at the same time. This fic creates new mechanics for Semblances as well and offers a different background for Remnant. Unfortunately, explaining any further ruins part of the plot. As for Pyrrha's magnetism: Yes, they are aware of that. Pyrrha's semblance is not what Weiss was panicking about – it was the fact that Ruby's arm (the one that has something wrong with it) was stuck to Crescent Rose and would not budge. Also, Weiss is aware that her Glyphs work without Dust. She was worried about being unable to perform to her fullest in a support role without Dust, since it is such a large part of her style. At the moment, the fic is taking place before the Prologue. In a couple more chapters, we will be caught up to the Prologue. I understand that I may not convey some parts clearly – please let me know if something is not clear. I will try to update the chapters to convey ideas more clearly. I will most likely go back and try to clear up anything that I feel might be confusing.**

 **UPDATE 8/2/2016: Hopefully, this story is flowing a lot more easily this time around and there is less confusion.**

* * *

"What does she mean by ' _she's scared'_?" The puzzled girl in white asked. Nora looked hesitant and Ren placed an arm on her shoulder to console her. He took a deep breath and sighed, as the teams focused their attention on them.

"You've never seen Ruby and Yang fight seriously or as partners, have you?"

"We run team training all the time," Blake offered.

"Er, no," Ren averted his eyes from the monochrome part of Team RWBY. "I mean… **without** the two of you." There was an awkward silence and the two couldn't help but feel insulted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss spat. The normally quiet boy put his hands up in defense.

"No, I mean, you've never heard of them previously to Beacon? They've never sparred in front of you one-on-one either?"

"No offense, Ren, but they've never sparred in front of us either and I've never heard of them. How did you?" Jaune cut in. Everyone looked at Ren and he sighed once more.

"Well, I guess it doesn't hurt." He looked at Nora for moment and considered his approach. "You see, Nora and I are orphans. We lost our parents very young and wound up in a bad… situation... We were saved by these two mercenaries – "

"Reaper and Scylla!" Nora quickly added, having regained a bit of her normal self. She crossed her arms and 'hmphed'. "Two **hunters**!"

"Yes," Ren said slightly annoyed. "Reaper and Scylla… And they weren't hunters. No way they could have been licensed at their ages back then."

"We don't even know how old they are, Ren! Duh! We've never even seen their faces!"

"…They took us into their group and they brought us to an orphanage that treated us very well and gave us everything we needed to get to where we are. The orphanage is sort of a Hunter's Hall and a lot of the orphans try to help out from shear gratefulness. We had our first run-in with them there. Ruby and Yang hadn't debuted in local competitions yet, but a lot of the kid's would go out to support Reaper and Scylla's matches."

"Total butt-kickers!" Nora proclaimed, before whispering. "Just don't tell Ruby and Yang I said that. **Huge** rivalry!"

"Ruby and Yang are also orphans?" Pyrrha's expression became sorrowful.

"No, their family helped out a lot though. Their dad and uncle helped out as consults for the Hunter's Hall and they all volunteered to help with the kids, but I don't think they were actually members," Ren replied. This seemed to raise a question out of Blake.

"So, if they were always around other children, why is always Ruby so awkward around people?"

"Ruby was rarely around us. We saw both of them, but we never really talked much. I know I saw Yang the most – we talked a couple of times, but really only during the Head Start Program." Nora mused out loud. "Yang helped her dad teach kids some basic defense stuff and like PE stuff! That's how Ren and I learned Aura Control!"

"Ruby tended to help her uncle with weapon repairs. I guess he planned for them to go to Signal, so he gave them a head start on weapon builds," Ren decided to answer the actual question. "Ruby was almost obsessed with machines. Unless you were an adult, she rarely ever responded. I think a few times I heard that she had been offered a future position with the Hunter's Hall – probably in regard to Weapon and Auxiliary maintenance. The last time we saw her, she had two personal projects she was working on – one looked like the beginning stages of Crescent Rose. The other looked like some sort of gauntlet, but Yang swears she built Ember Celica herself, so that can't be it. It didn't look like it was meant to be a weapon either… but Ruby just loved working on projects more than interacting with other kids."

"So, what does this have to do with Ruby and Yang's ability to fight without us around?" Weiss crossed her arms.

"Do you want the short version or the long version?" Ren asked blandly.

"Short," Weiss barked… and that was when Nora barreled in.

"They're really good!" She shouted as she flailed her arms around, causing everyone to jump.

"Hold on a second… Weren't you just afraid of them?" Jaune asked in disbelief.

"Only for Cardin's safety, captain!" Nora winked as she saluted her leader, with her tongue sticking out. Ren closed his eyes as if to pretend she wasn't doing something ridiculous again.

"If they're so good, then they wouldn't be in any classes with us and we definitely wouldn't have lost." Weiss' expression was highly unamused.

"I've thought about that a lot recently and I've noticed something in regard to that, but I thought it had to do with Blake and Weiss," Ren spoke to the group. "But Ruby and Yang's individual styles of fighting have been altered drastically since entering Beacon. I thought for sure that these next four years would be in for something spectacular with the announcement of Ruby being offered a full-ride to Beacon. That alone should say something toward Ruby's ability. I'm just surprised they overlooked her disability."

"Disability?" The other four all asked in unison.

"I don't have all the details, but I distinctly remember being told that something about Ruby's physical condition rendered her unfit to become a Huntress. It was something that would be detected easily during both a physical and an Aural exam, but I haven't noticed anything."

"Ren, if there's something wrong with Ruby, we need to know," Blake pushed.

"You would have to ask them more about it. If I knew, I would tell you."

"Well, the only disability Ruby seems to have is working with others! I refuse to believe she's that good, especially after she froze in the arena!"

"Well, you don't have to believe me, Weiss," Nora shrugged. "But I was happy about our matchups **because** they got split up earlier – not because we were paired against Team RWBY. Those two are **ridiculous** when paired together – like gas and fire! I'm like **totally** sure they're just pretending to be bad," Nora winked. "Don't believe me, just watch for yourselves." Nora turned to the arena. "BREAK THEIR LEGS!" At this time, Pyrrha felt that something didn't quite sit well.

"They both feel different now." Weiss and Blake's eyes eased up. For Pyrrha to be making it a point to say something, it must have been a concern. "Not just that they're angry or determined. Their auras feel different from before – like they're not the same people. So much sadness… darkness." She turned to Jaune. "Do you feel it?"

"No," he gulped. "I can **see** it." Large waves of a red and yellow haze emanated from the two girls.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha cocked her head. "There's nothing there." He shot around to look at her.

"Oh, come on! You can't **all** not see that!" He threw a hand out in the arena's direction.

"There's nothing there, Jaune," Blake said. Dismayed, Jaune looked on at the growing miasma that leaked from them; the red one twisting its way around Crescent Rose. With a ding, the Aura Meter signaled the match.

 **ooOOoo**

"Hey, Cardin, you think they'll cry?" Russell grinned toward the sisters. "Maybe, we should take it easy on them?" The two boys snickered at them.

"Nah, we gotta' show them their places!" He brought a fist up and shot a thumb down. "Beneath us!"

"Sounds good, boss!" Russell straightened himself up into as much of a macho posture as he could manage, though it was effectively reversed standing next to Cardin.

"So, look Russ, I want you to lure the dumb one in and I'll knock her out, then we'll deal with the blonde." Russell nodded in affirmation and looked at the two sisters again. They appeared to exchange a few words, though there didn't seem to be enough to form any sort of tactics. "Uh, I think they're winging it again."

"Really? Again? I guess they didn't actually learn anything!" An arrogant laugh escaped Cardin and he focused his sights on them. "Well, whatever. This will be easy."

 **ooOOoo**

"Yang." The blonde focused her eyes on her black-and-red clad sister and grimaced. Without the cape, she really looked like a different person. "Did you have trouble activating earlier?" Silence was the only answer Ruby received. "I forgot your Arti Charge. Sorry, I've been paying so-"

"Much attention to Weiss?" Yang snapped. She deserved that. Clearly, her sister had already been upset previous to Cardin's jeering. He had just been the icing on the cake. Figuring it would be best to deal with the issue later, Ruby moved on to the planning stage.

"Yeah, we'll talk about that later. For now, you know what to do." In response, Yang rolled her eyes. As if Ruby needed to tell her – only show off a little. Miss Goodwitch would probably have a cow if they went all out. They didn't want to kill the idiots in CRDL – just give them a lesson they wouldn't soon forget.

"Right, I got you." A warping sound drew their attention to the Aura Meter, as it measured their auras and began to fill their respective gauges. Figuring she should get started, Ruby deployed Crescent Rose and started to focus her aura. Red petals flurried out to her left from her arm, dancing excitedly in the air before swaying as they made their way to the floor. Red eyes basked in the storm of petals and Yang reached up to lightly grasp a single petal. Placing it between her teeth she clamped down, holding it in place. As the Aura Meter completed its loading procedure, flames of gold engulfed Yang and the signal to start hummed. The show of flames, followed by a hungry grin spreading across Yang's face, ebbed away at Russell's spunk and Cardin became aggravated with his partner's lack of guts.

"Dude, just bait the annoying one! The flames are for show – she always does this." With that reminder, Russell became somewhat relieved and drew his daggers. Maybe he'd try some sort of feint and some stunts to reel her in. Ruby Rose was known for both her speed and gullibility, but her ability to process a situation rivaled her speed – not to mention her combat tactics were usually borderline insane. Without proper planning though, she was pretty much useless and that showed in her earlier match, so he would stay wary of the older sister, for now. He closed his eyes and sighed to himself, before refocusing on them. He took a few steps forward before every hair on his body stood and his muscles clammed up.

Basic instincts alerted the body to possible danger and hunters were trained to pay special awareness to their bodies. Right now, his body was processing this unshakeable feeling that some serious shit was about to go down. Reassessing the situation, he noticed Yang's fire licked at her surroundings and scorched everything in its path, except for Ruby. Alarmed, he looked at the meter for reassurance that the flames were indeed harmless and became unnerved by what he saw.

"Cardin, what's going on with them?! I thought you said it couldn't hurt!" Confused, Cardin looked at the board. Nothing was wrong with Russell, but the Aura Meters on their challengers' side dropped a percentage with each passing moment. If it had just been Ruby's, that might have been understandable, but the flames waned away at its owner's aura, too … yet, both girls remained equally unphased.

On the sisters' side, Yang opted for a more supportive role. She took a few steps in Ruby's direction, remaining behind her capeless compadre, and the flames raged once more. Ruby's mother… no… **Their** mother… even if they shared no blood, Ruby's mom raised Yang as her own… How dare they threaten what little Summer had left behind! Yang reached out toward Ruby and placed her right hand on the shoulder that yielded the haze of petals. With another burst, the petals spread across the arena, creating an infernal storm of molten rain.

As if to pull the same stunt as her earlier match, Ruby dashed forward and Russell prepared to intercept. As she neared, Ruby changed things up and lunged forward. Thinking quickly, Russell ducked out of the way, letting Ruby plow straight into Cardin's incoming mace. Responding with her own set of evasive tactics, Ruby slammed Crescent Rose's blade into the ground, allowing her to vault herself over him. Hands now devoid of her scythe's presence, Ruby grasped Cardin's shoulder with her left hand and snaked her way below him, using her right to cushion her landing. Puzzled, Cardin searched for the flexible girl, finding her sprawled out on the ground and he immediately slammed his mace down.

In that moment, the girl virtually disappeared in a flurry of petals. With a sound similar to a glass breaking, the red hue of the petals shattered into a haze that covered the arena and revealed white petals. A tap from behind caused Cardin to swing into another flurry, missing his intended target. Another set of searing petals fell from above, igniting the most recent additions to the petal collection, and Cardin became irritated as the smoldering blossoms mocked him. Letting it get the best of him, he blindly swung at Ruby, connecting instead with Russell's face and launching him straight at Yang.

Amidst the commotion, Yang rushed toward their now-separated opponents, armed Ember Celica, and intercepted Russell. As the gauntlets deployed, she threw a right hook and effectively caved his face in on itself and sent him flying into Cardin. As Russell collided with his partner, the incoming force was enough to take Cardin with him. After a moment, Cardin realized they were no longer moving forward, nor had they collided with the ground. In fact, they were hovering above the ground. It was then that he registered the blade of Crescent Rose beside his face, with the pole-arm bearing their weight… Ruby had caught them.

In as short a time as it took to interpret what had occurred, Ruby virtually teleported with Cardin and Russell in tow... arriving next to the blonde… who grinned at them with eyes full of mischief. With a shake of the scythe, the two oafs fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Cardin rolled onto his back and immediately wished he hadn't. He was greeted with the sight of a cyclone of flaming petals rushing toward them, trapped in the current Ruby's speed had created. Well, on the bright side, at least they'd all be roasted toge- oh come on! Seriously?!

As the conflagration hit them, Yang completely absorbed the concoction of flames and petals into her aura and a golden glow brilliantly outlined her voluptuous frame. Resting her arms on her hips, Yang's grin widened and she disarmed Ember Celica. Flames began to pool around Yang's feet, lighting the ground beneath all of them and she leaned back and cocked her right arm back all the way to the ground, preparing the necessary force for this next move. The source of heat energy beneath the ground lurched at her hand, attaching itself as it offered a small resistance that tugged her fist toward the ground. In the mean time, Ruby planted Crescent Rose into the ground, then perched herself atop the sickle.

With everything now prepared, Yang launched a rocket-force punch toward the heavens, creating an updraft of flames that carried Ruby and the two meatheads with it. Flames licked at them from all sides, melting away their auras, but Ruby grinned through the ordeal. Driven by sheer force, the flames collided with the arena's roof, smothering them.

Reaching the maximum height, Russell's eyes were drawn to Ruby's and they widened in horror. The small girl grinned wickedly and his blood ran cold. His chest hollowed as she rolled in the air to prepare the trip down. The slaughter wasn't over yet. Who the fuck was she?! These weren't the semblance iconic to the sisters, nor were these the happy girls they tortured for fun. These were just a taste of the monsters truly buried beneath their skin and it was clear this was only a taste of what they could do. In a flurry of more petals, Ruby vanished and the downdraft that trailed behind her sent them barreling back to their own demises. Ruby reappeared atop Crescent Rose, eyes closed, and perfectly balanced as she awaited their landing. In that moment, the flames cleared and the petals returned to their former red hue. It truly looked as if the ground was soaking itself in blood, but they were simply just petals. It was a horrifying sight.

Having taken heavy damage to their auras, the impact knocked Russell out at just under 30%, with Cardin holding on at 31%. Barely able to move, his foot twitched and he tried to push himself upward but collapsed again. Noticing the remaining percentage, Yang casually walked his way, while humming a tune.

"Yang…" Prominent silver eyes piercing through her bangs, Ruby peered down at her sister as she called her name sternly.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." She paused in front of the downed captain and defiantly returned Ruby's gaze. Petal still clinched in her teeth, she flashed a goofy smile before proceeding to tap his foot with her own, just hard enough to take down the last percentage. The blonde wrapped her arms behind her head and waltzed toward the exit, pausing briefly as she passed Miss Goodwitch. "They might need some help." Behind Yang, Ruby hopped off of Crescent Rose, collapsing it and approaching the more agile member of their opponents.

 _ **That seemed a bit unnecessary.**_

 _ **Coming from something that wants me to use unnecessary power?**_

 _ **I would rather our existence be made known under more… spectacular circumstances.**_

 _ **I despise you.**_

 _ **Such is your curse.**_

Unsure of where he was, Russell opened his eyes to look at the top of the arena. That's right. He'd just been in a match… but with who? Groggily, he tried to push himself up, but had a hard. He lifted his head and tried to look down his feet to make sure he was still alive. His vision was blurred, but a dark silhouette approached him, filling itself out vivid accents of red as it drew closer… Who?... Silver… His eyes widened and his breath quickened as he clambered backwards across the floor, but she only walked a little faster.

"St- stay away!" The figure hesitated for moment, considering his request, but it decided against it. Russell found his back against the arena's aura structured wall and he prayed for forgiveness. They had done horrible things to people in the past, but he never truly meant any of them. He was just doing what his leader did. They were all afraid of him. He didn't know that cape was so important to them! The figure leaned down and Russell was sure it was the end.

"Miss Rose! That is enough!" The figure ignored their instructor, remaining focused on Russell and the haziness began to clear from his vision. Instead of some horrifying figure, he could make out concerned silver eyes and a hand offered to him. He looked to her hand and then back at her to wonder to himself if any of this had been real. It must have, otherwise Glynda's voice wouldn't have carried so much concern. Regardless, he took her hand in hopes she would understand he regretted his actions.

"If you're truly sorry, Russell, you should stand up for yourself. You should also make an effort earn forgiveness." He gave her a confused look. Had she read his mind? Ruby suddenly blushed and rubbed the back of her head as she helped him up. "Oh, uh, you were talking out loud. I think you have a concussion." He grunted a dazed response and his eyes traveled to Miss Goodwitch as she hurried to check on him.

"I'll be needing to speak with the two of you later." The huntress glared at Ruby as she passed by and Ruby trotted over to Yang, bashfully walking out and bickering with Yang.

"Seriously though, you could show off **less**!" Ruby nagged as they got back to their desk area.

"Oh, **I** could show off less? Well, **excuse me** for manipulating air currents and amping myself up to previously impossible speeds… Oh wait, that was **you**!" The blonde was riddled with sarcasm. Yang eyed Ruby's cape before grabbing it and handing it at her. "You don't look right without it… and tactically, it would have been better." Ruby gave her a confused look that begged her to elaborate. "What?! You make more petals. More petals equal **better fire**!" Yang shouted excitedly toward the end, earning a facepalm from the younger one.

"I was raised by an arsonist… That must be what's wrong with me!"

"Hey! That hurts!" Yang smacked her in the arm and Ruby stuck her tongue out in response. "I prefer ' _Flame Philanthropist_ ', thank you!"

"Whatever," Ruby laughed through the word, before snatching the petal out of her mouth and letting it deteriorate. "And give me that! You don't need it, anymore!" The laughter continued but died out when she felt six pairs of eyes staring holes into them. The crimson and coal huntress-to-be began to sweat as it now dawned on her that she would have to explain so much. Slowly, she turned her head to meet the many eyes of their friends and she froze. Ruby looped herself around Yang and hid behind her. "Yang… pressure… help!"

"Relax, I got this!" The golden girl shifted her weight onto the table and drummed her fingers. "Well, wasn't that an explosive match!" Silence…. _Well, I tried!_ "Well, you're on your own!"

"Yaaang!"

"Ruby, what the hell was that?!" And like that, the heiress initiated the barrage of questions. "You couldn't have tried that hard earlier?!" So many questions flooded the heiress, fueling her frustration. It just didn't make any sense. How was it that, as Ruby's partner, she was unable to achieve results anywhere close to their demonstration? It was impossible for them to be so far ahead… Every student had to take a placement test before they were even allowed to attend Beacon – regardless of talent. Afterward, students were either assigned to the Emerald Forest Challenge or special placement among similarly skilled peers was granted to the exceptional ones, with both clearly falling into the latter category.

"I think it was **us winning** ," Ruby's brow furrowed causing Weiss to grit her teeth. The crimson girl took notice of her assigned partner's irritation. "CRDL started crap with us and we finished it. I don't really know what else you want me to say, Weiss. At least, **we** stood up for Team RWBY."

"Well, if everything went the way **we** all wanted, then maybe **you** could have gotten the right partner." Weiss said sarcastically.

"What're you trying to say, Schnee?" Yang stepped in.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Guys, let's calm down," Jaune tried to play the peacekeeper.

"Stay out of this, Jaune." Yang glared at him and he backed down. "Seriously, what're you trying to say?"

"Things aren't going right, so you just traded out for who you could show off the best with? Is this all a joke to you?" The heiress failed at finding the right words and lashed out. _Ah, so that was it._ Having figured out the problem,Ruby smiled warmly. "Oh! And now this is funny to you?! Blake and I are trying to make the best out of our abilities with our given situations! We're not here for games!" Insulted, Yang took a step forward, stopping when Ruby held up a hand to halt her.

"Stop, Yang."

"Oh, what a surprise! You take her side! This is bull-"

"I said, **'Stop'** , Yang… Calm down… Too much adrenaline…" Ruby became quieter as she finished speaking. The blonde pouted and collapsed hard into her seat, keeping an annoyed glare trained on Weiss. She'd be damned if she let Weiss keep hounding Ruby. "It's not like that, Weiss. It's not a game… It's just, enough is enough. They won't bother us anymore, now."

"Ugh!" Weiss let out a scream of frustration. "That's not the point!"

"Then say it." It was like Ruby knew what Weiss wanted to say. Why was she being so difficult!

"I… just… it's…" Words failed her once more and the heiress struggled with expressing herself. The dismissal bell rang and she slammed her hands on the desk. "Forget it!" She stormed out of the classroom with haste. "You obviously don't need me, so I don't need you."

"What's eating her?" Yang off-handedly commented, earning a scoff from Blake.

"You don't get it? You **really** don't get what you two did?" Yang gave her an alarmed look that said that she genuinely didn't understand what was so bad about it.

"I take it ' _No'_ is the wrong answer, but it's the only one I have?" Blake gave an aggravated sigh and began her explanation.

"Sure, Cardin started it. Yeah, he needed to be put in his place by someone… but what you two did… I understand why… but I feel the same as Weiss." Blake clenched her fists together. "Ruby was moved up a couple years, so she's already ahead. She's a prodigy – it's expected - but you're the same age as us, Yang." Blake gritted her teeth. "I understand you've lived your whole lives together, but to us, we all just met… According to student guidelines, the entrance exam is supposed to place us amongst peers of similar skill level, but that was clearly beyond ours. It stings **a lot** that my partner is ridiculously more efficient with a member of my team other than myself - that I can't achieve even similar results. It says that I'm the one holding her back…" Blake paused and gathered herself. "That I'm disposable…" The two sisters took a moment to consider Blake's words before Ruby started to walk toward the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Yang jumped up.

"…To find Weiss…"

"I'll go wi-"

"I'd rather do this on my own," Ruby scratched the back of her head. "It's probably best if we don't partner up for a while… That's kinda' why we're here, right?" Ruby left the room and Yang crossed her arms in thought. As Blake passed her, Yang reached out and touched her fingertips to Blake's arm.

"Walk with me."

* * *

 **AN: Woo, development next chapter. The Partners arc is pretty much being done to establish the relationships Ruby and Yang have with different people and offer a small portion of insight into their characters for this fic. Things I would like people to assume: Yang and Ruby are the only ones aware of Blake's faunus nature, but Ruby is the only one who has mentioned it to Blake. No one else knows. RWBY has been together for roughly two months and Ruby/Yang have been doing just enough to keep up appearances. The rose petal that Yang put in her mouth is important. No, Ruby does not have a split personality, but there will be an explanation for what seems like it. The orphanage Ren and Nora mention is located in Patch and is funded by the Patch Hunter's Hall. Ruby and Yang's Aura Meter decreasing will be important later. It is not a glitch. Later on, Ruby and Yang are going to seem unnecessarily OP, but it comes with major drawbacks. Also, "Arti" is one of the new mechanics I mentioned earlier. Um, Yang REALLY hates the Schnee family – not particularly Weiss. She just assumes her to be a "typical Schnee" and Yang has trouble adjusting to the fact that Ruby does not believe Weiss to be the same.**


	5. Partners: Part III

**It's been a few weeks! Whole lot of stuff been going on! Been really busy at work through Xmas season but yeah! I had a show with my band the other day and… . It would seem I have partially torn a meniscus tendon in my knee. Between work and everything I've been in a lot of pain and hopped up on a lot of painkillers. To put it plainly, I feel ALL KINDS of good right now! (until they wear off, like right now TT_TT) Anyway, so I've been sitting on this chapter since pretty much two days after the last chapter was released. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if I wanted to release chapter because some stuff might have happened a little too early on. I'll mention that at the bottom. But Merry Xmas to everyone! Here's my present to you guys – a longer chapter!**

 **UPDATE 8/2/2016: This is the longest chapter in this story... Why did I do this to myself TT_TT**

* * *

Streetlamps hummed to life across the campus signaling the day's end. Alone, the Schnee heiress watched from the rooftops as students walked together, happily conversing with one another. Among them, she recognized members of other teams she'd had the pleasure of meeting during her time at Beacon. Laughter permeated the cool night air as Team CFVY enjoyed themselves. Weiss smiled and continued her survey of the courtyard's nightly ministrations, ultimately locking eyes with the campus' other well-known amber-eyed beauty. Cinder was the girl's name and she carried herself with an authority only matched by her confidence. Challenging eyes returned the heiress' curiosity with a smug look as she mouthed something to her companion, Emerald.

 _I'm just tired of all the failure._ She recalled the boy from her dreams. It was only going to happen again and this time it would be her partner. Just like the boy, she would get so used to Ruby being around and then she would fail her and forget her name and face. How many times would she fail? She was just so utterly useless.

The roof exit creaked loudly – a clear sign it needed a good oiling - and Weiss forfeit her staring contest, deciding it was more important to identify the presence that had joined her. A pit opened in her stomach when she recognized the source of the sound was the very reason she had made the trip up to the roof. The redhead paused at the door, awaiting the 'okay' to come closer. Realizing Weiss wasn't going to; Ruby resorted to her most drastic of measures – a ploy that only the coldest of hearts would refute.

As Yang would say, "She hit Weiss with **The Combo** " – watery puppy dog eyes… and the lip tremble… That damn lip tremble had won many an argument between the heiress and her vibrant counterpart. It was also a decidedly major factor behind Weiss' accusations of Ruby being childish… but why did that pouting have to look so adorable on her? _... Wait… what?...Adorable?!_ Rather than letting that thought carry on any further, she shook it away and redirected her sights to Beacon's forestscape, neither asking for Ruby's company nor dismissing her. Cautious footsteps approached Weiss and she felt Ruby lean her arms against the ledge. A few moments of silence passed as a gentle breeze danced through their hair before Ruby broke the silence.

"Hey." Ruby voice was soft with guilt and Weiss hummed back in response. "I looked all over for you."

"I see," Weiss remained distant. With neither knowing where to begin, the air between them grew tense.

"Er, about earlier –"

"It's nothing like Atlas here."

"Huh?" Ruby turned to Weiss.

"Even when it's cold here, the people are warm… caring…" The heiress paused again. "In Atlas, it's always cold… It's a cold city, with cold people – hi-tech, machine-driven, and ruthless expectations. The city is built on lies… but it's not like that here." Her eyes met Ruby's. "At least, I thought that was the difference. I met you and **you** were different, but you're just a lie too. Everything has become worthless – everything I've learned, everyone I've met… even I'm worthless…" Ruby sighed to herself and closed to her eyes.

"You can't escape Atlas, Weiss." Steel eyes pierced the heiress' azure irises. "You have a purpose in life."

"I know that!" Weiss shouted. "I know that… But it doesn't feel like the right purpose. Once I'm done with Beacon, I go back to all of that. I won't get to be as carefree as you. From there on, it's all business. I'll never be able to enjoy myself again. Everything is predetermined. I'll only stand out because I'm a **Schnee** , not as an individual. **Weiss** doesn't matter, only that Weiss is a **Schnee**. I'll always be in the shadow of those who came before me, working toward someone else's goal."

"So you're only passionate about something you care about? What your family stands for doesn't matter to you?"

"Excuse me?" The heiress was offended and confused.

"The things your family has done – they don't matter to you?"

"My family has done horrible things! Of course they matter!" The heiress spat. "There's so much that I have to fix – to atone for. It's both exciting and daunting at the same time… Serving the future of my family."

"I said you have a purpose in **life** , Weiss – not a duty to serve." With those gray eyes staring so earnestly at her, it almost made it feel like it would be easy to just cast everything away. Unlike the boy's eyes that inspired her strength, Ruby's warm gray's calmed her worries strengthened her self-worth.

"What do you mean?"

"I believe everyone has a reason for existence, but it might not be what they planned for." Weiss stared at the redhead with her signature blank stare, inviting further elaboration. Clearly thinking too hard, Ruby's brow furrowed and she crossed her arms.

"Don't think too hard, dolt."

"Hey! I'm trying to be supportive and you're being rude!" She returned back to her thoughts before attempting to give a spastic explanation. "Um… like, you know… Everyone's here to become licensed Hunters." Ruby looked upward as her brain went into overdrive and she cupped her hand around her chin. "Well, we all have different ideas of what we want to do, but things change when we get out there. We might start off with one thing and decide we want to go a different way. Like, what if I want to hunt Grimm, but then I decide I want to teach something like Dust Application? Dad and Uncle Qrow didn't **plan** on teaching – it just kinda' happened and…. Hey! Why are you laughing?!" Light laughter rose from the heiress as she remembered Ruby blowing her up on the first day.

"Ruby, no offense, but you'll have to get **a lot** better with Dust before you can teach it!" She wiped some moisture from her eye before smiling warmly at the frowning girl. "You might have me in the physical part, but your grades need to go **way** up before that… I get what you mean, though."

"… Like I said, ' **Rude'**!" The younger girl stuck her tongue out and looked away.

"At this rate, I won't be able to do the things I need to do - make my mark."

"Things liiiike being the best?" The speed demon sped up her words as she spoke. A lack unimpressed look returned to the heiress' face and the crimson girl placed her hands behind her head. "But that's simple." A sly grin fixed itself to the crimsonette's face. "Just get better than me!"

"You know, having too much pride is a thing." Weiss' voice was riddled with sarcasm.

"Likewise, Princess!" The crimsoness winked at her.

"Would you people stop calling me that!" Weiss shrieked, encouraging another sly grin. Apparently, Ruby took some sort of small pleasure in Weiss breaking her normal composure. Then again, if it wasn't for the girl, she probably wouldn't have learned to tolerate the shortcomings of others to any degree. "Right… well… I thought I was doing perfectly fine and then out of nowhere, you suddenly become good! What the hell was that in there?!" Weiss ranted, voicing her frustrations out loud. Ruby held hand to her heart in mock shock.

"I take offense to that!" She teased through another grin that phased into a sly smile. "I've **always** been that good!"

"And here I thought you were humb-!" The heiress cut off by Ruby taking one of hands between both of her own. "What are you –" Weiss began to shriek but she stopped, after noticing the somber look in Ruby's eyes. "Doing?"

"Yang and I aren't going to partner up like that anymore." Somber silver met puzzled baby blues. "I know that hurt you and I'm sorry."

"That's just condescending," Weiss hissed.

"Well, what do you want from me?! I didn't do it for me! I wanted to defend my partner's honor…" Ruby looked up adamantly. "They can make fun of me all they want, but not my partner! Yang's partner is important…" A bashful Ruby twiddled her fingers. "My partner is important." Weiss' expression softened at the sight of her partner's awkwardness. Ruby gripped her cape tightly. "I don't ever want to be able to say I failed someone who was important to me again." _Her too?_ Weiss decided to ask her about that later.

"Then fight for your partner **with** your partner. Do you know what it's like watching **my** partner be better with someone who's not me? It's _Weiss and Ruby_ , not _Yang and Ruby_ … If you wanted Yang… you should have kept moving when I turned you down…" The heiress trailed off as she spoke. A brief silence ensued and Ruby decided to hop up onto the ledge, flailing her arms around in an attempt to regain her lost balance. Worried she would fall, Weiss leapt after her, forcing the klutz to sit down and using her own arms to fasten Ruby's thighs in place. "Watch it, dolt! You'll fall!"

"No, I wouldn't!" Ruby stuck her tongue out. "You wouldn't let me – you'd miss me too much!" The heiress blushed and stepped back with her arms crossed.

"Fine! Fall for all I care!"

"You're mad?" Ruby exhaled. "You're mad… I guess I deserve that. Have you noticed that Yang's upset with me?"

"I thought it was normal for her to be irritable." This earned a giggle from the caped girl.

"No, not always. That's your job!" A faint smile crossed her lips.

"Hey!"

"Well, before we departed for Beacon, she decided we'd be partners, but I had other plans for us. I feel bad because I let Yang think that all the way until Ozpin launched us into the forest."

"Ruby, when exactly did you tell your sister you wanted a different partner?" Weiss wore a skeptical look on her face. Under the pressure of her white-clad partner's eyes, Ruby looked away and tapped her fingers against each other as she danced across the subject.

"I... maaaay or may not have told her at the exact moment she was launched so she couldn't argue." She let out a nervous laugh and faced Weiss' glare. "Wow, that's intense," she mumbled under her breath. "And then I went looking for you instead and Yang is mad because I chose you over her."

"Wait, what do you mean _chose_?" Blue eyes focused on Ruby expectantly. A strong gust of wind came over them and Ruby turned to look over her shoulder. It seemed someone below them had a staring problem. Steel eyes met the golden globes and Ruby shifted her body to face Cinder, leaning forward to rest her left elbow on her leg. She closed her hand into a fist and rested her chin on her knuckles, matching Cinder with a mocking gaze.

"Let's just say, I have a talent for locating people." Remaining confident, she narrowed her gaze at Cinder, causing the woman's eyes to widen. Cinder looked to her companion and they shared a few brief words before hurrying off. Cinder looked back for a moment to meet eyes once more and Ruby rolled her eyes at her before turning around to rejoin Weiss. Weiss desire for Ruby to elaborate further was strong tonight, but she didn't feel like it at the moment. Instead, Ruby changed the subject back to earlier.

"I feel like I need to be a little more honest about earlier." She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm not usually so open, but I want you to know I'm trying. So… maybe we can try together?"

 **ooOOoo**

"Uh, what was that?" A tanned girl with light green hair asked in disbelief asked as Ruby stared at them with amusement.

"I'm not sure." Cinder met Ruby's eyes with defiance. If anything, she'd be sure to leave Little Red with a little unrest. "There's something that's not right about her though."

"Should I kill her?" Cinder's companion was a bit overzealous at times, but such was the price of loyal subordinates.

"No, Emerald. It would be to our advantage to watch and learn." Emerald rolled her eyes. Killing a nuisance would certainly be more entertaining than watching her boss have a staring contest with a kid. Boredom set in and the impatient girl began to examine the object of Cinder's current focus. There wasn't really anything interesting about her other than her close proximity to the Schnee heiress – a black corset with a black battle jacket and skirt, black gloves, a red cape, dark red hair, silver eyes – ok so maybe the eyes and cape stood out. "They say ignorance is bliss. Well, I believe someone once said "Ignorance is not bliss – it is oblivion." Emerald cocked her head cluelessly, encouraging her boss to explain. "Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion… it means that pursuing without knowing will be your downfall." A glint of red flashed from as the girl leaned forward, daring them to make a move. "We should leave." Emerald barely caught a flash of fear in Cinder's eyes as she spun around to leave in a hurry. "I'd rather not provoke a sleeping Grimm when I see one."

"Are you serious?!" Her befuddled lackey asked in disbelief, trotting closely behind. "That kid? Dangerous?"

"I couldn't place it before, but now I'm certain that I've seen her before." Emerald quirked an eyebrow in response. "A few months back, Roman was given a simple task: Acquire Dust. You know about the mishap that occurred there, correct?"

"Uh, yeah. Some kid played him for a fool and you had to save his butt when Ozpin's assistant showed up."

"Yes, but it seems our Little Red is the same kid from that night." A dismissive expression ventured across Emerald's face. "Don't take this as a joke, Emerald. Be very careful around her. She knows something."

"No one even knows you were there."

"I wouldn't be so sure. For a while now, we've had someone tracking us. It's very possible for her to be working with someone on the inside, though. Miss Rose, herself, did not appear until her arrival in Vale, where she has, so far, become a major inconvenience on several separate occasions. What strikes me as odd is that she manages to look like a complete idiot the entire time. Element of surprise, maybe?" Cinder mused to herself aloud. "I don't know, but her use of Dust is unnatural, let alone her accurate prediction of Goodwitch's arrival time. Had Goodwitch not shown up, we may not have been successful. The girl I rescued him from is hiding within the idiot that walks the halls here." Cinder's eyes snapped to Emerald's to emphasize her point. "Don't you find it even the least bit odd that she just **happens** to have partnered herself with a Schnee? The very one that we'll need later." The raven-haired vixen lost herself in thought.

"I feel like you've been leaving some things out about Roman's operations."

"No..." Her voice hinted that she was still absent in mind, but Cinder quickly refocused. "Not intentionally. I've been waiting to determine whether she would be a thorn in our side or not, but it seems we'll have to prune our prickly little rose."

"So, what do we do?" Emerald shifted her position.

"Find out what you can about her. I want to know everything: Where she's from, how old she is, weapon specs, eating habits… I want to know what direction she sleeps facing!"

"That last one seems a bit odd."

"Just…" Cinder paused in frustration. "Get it done."

"You seem rather… perturbed." Emerald commented on her agitation.

"I'm just… trying to place where I've seen her before. She's so familiar…"

"I thought you said Roma-"

"No, before that…" Cinder studied her once more. "That hair… and those eyes… Her skill level… In my entire life, I've only met two people with her particular skill set, but they're both d…" Cinder smiled wickedly to herself. "I know who you are."

"Huh?" Reinvigorated, Cinder turned around.

"Hurry, we have some research to do." She looked over her shoulder at Ruby and shuddered. That liquid metal gaze still pierced through her. Pleased with Cinder's retreat, Ruby smirked and dismissively pivoted around the ledge, disappearing from sight – and to that, Cinder was elated. "It's been so long. I have nothing but the best planned for you, Little Red."

 **ooOOoo**

"I was angry…" Ruby began. "Sometimes, my emotions get the best of me." Ruby looked down in shame as she traced Weiss' fragile fingers with her thumbs. The heiress shuddered and wondered to herself why she hadn't pulled her hands away, but this time she decided to place Ruby's needs above her own. Just as a wave of calm flooded her being, Ruby gently let go before returning to the ledge guard. Her own insecurity getting the best of her, Ruby's appearance became fragile as she dawned her hood and silently peered out over the courtyard. "I don't have a lot of people who are close to me… They become too important – so important that it hurts when they leave... So I push them away before they have a chance. If it's just Yang and I, I'll never have to miss anyone and neither will she… but you know what that's like too, huh?" Ruby turned as she was joined by Weiss' presence. Weiss reached a hand out and gently moved the hood away, revealing misty metallic spheres, and she felt something move within her. It ached - almost synchronized even - but she felt that Ruby still had more to say. "Yang and I don't work well with others, so before we left, we were told we needed to work cohesively with people other than ourselves… but we **need** to be together. I thought it would be fine as long as we were on the same team. We'd still look out for each other and be awesome and everything, but I guess I started to care about you two, as well… and I'm afraid of what that means for the future." Ruby paused and swallowed.

"It means you're trying to be human, right? It's natural to care about others." Weiss laughed weakly to herself. "Listen to me talk about this. I'm the one who's been cold to everyone. You claim you're pushing people away, but I guess I win there haha."

"I don't want to lose anyone else. I refuse," Ruby growled through clenched teeth. "I won't lose you and I won't lose Blake or Yang. Call me selfish, but now that I can protect people, I will."

"Ruby…" Weiss was unsure of how to console her. Was Ruby implying that she had been weak and unable to protect someone before? They were both the same. They had just been raised differently. _Maybe I should ask…_

"I wanted them to pay…" Ruby's eyes sparked with anger and clenched her fists. "They insulted my friend - my partner, who was just trying to make a point. I was angry, but I was trying to stay calm so that Yang wouldn't lose it… but Cardin… The only thing I have left of **her** …" The air was tense, but Weiss needed to press on to find out what else she needed to say.

" …Who did you lose?..." Weiss adjusted Ruby's hood and Ruby reached up to hold her hand in place.

"Mom, Yang, and I…" She hesitated. "We went to Atlas for a little while when I was a really little…" Ruby had been to Atlas? That must have been how she knew what it was like. Ruby met Weiss' eyes with an intense stare. Instead of hollow eyes, Weiss found them running rampant with emotion. "Mom bought this for me that day… I barely remember how anything happened, but I was so happy. After that, I remember flames… An explosion… More flames everywhere…" Weiss' center numbed. This sounded familiar. Had Ruby and Yang been there during a White Fang attack? "Yang was passed out on me and I couldn't find Mom. I tried to drag Yang somewhere safe – she was all I had, but…" She grasped her left arm firmly. "Everything was falling. The ceiling started to collapse and we were going to die. I saw this woman coming toward us. She tried to save us, but she wasn't fast enough, and then these arms grabbed us and threw us to the lady. I saw the ceiling collapse on Mom and I heard her scream."

Weiss' heart was still. The same shadow that plagued the Schnee family had also wrapped its tendrils around the Xiao Long-Rose sisters and she never knew. Why? Because she simply hadn't cared to. Two idiot sisters had filled out half of her team and she couldn't have cared less about their pasts, as long as they weren't dragging her down. No wonder the blonde hated her so much – she likely blamed her family for the loss of their mother… but shouldn't Ruby feel the same?... No, Ruby could get angry, but her hatred didn't run her.

"I wasn't paying much attention to anything that happened after that. The woman asked me to take care of Yang and said she was going back to try to help Mom. Dad and Uncle Qrow found us and we later heard that the lady also died…"

"I'm so sorry Ruby…" Tears streamed down Weiss' face. "The White Fang has taken so much from so many. If I had known – "

"You would have what? Been nice to me?" Ruby gave a small laugh and wiped the moisture away from her own eyes. "I prefer warming up to you." A cheesy smile worked its way across her face and she breathed in. "This is the last thing Mom gave me, but it's also a reminder - a reminder to become stronger to protect those I cherish, a reminder that my life is not my own. I have to live it for those around me. Yang and I… we hold the lives of two other people within us and we need to make it count. We need their sacrifices to mean something and in turn **we** have to mean something… It's why Yang and I got to where we are." Determination – Ruby Rose was the very personification of that word right now. At least, to Weiss, she was and if anything, Weiss was determined to take something away from this. Ruby had a purpose that was driving her – the value she placed in the lives of others. Sure, not everyone was good, but that didn't mean that Ruby believed they were any less deserving of life than others.

Weiss thought back to the little boy in her dreams. He had sacrificed himself to try and keep Weiss in his life - to protect their friendship – and Weiss had selfishly squandered his gift. It was that boy that awakened her power and where Ruby chose to believe she now lived for more than just herself, Weiss had chosen to believe his was simply an existence that ceased to be and Weiss was ashamed. Rather than fight her every step of the way, maybe Weiss could draw strength from her partner? Live for both herself and the boy from her dreams.

"I'm going to work harder, that way I'll be able to fight by your side – as a **worthy** partner. I'll be the best partner you could ask for."

"Haha, looks like Yang has some competition now," Ruby teased, earning a small hit to her arm.

"Dolt!" Weiss huffed with her arms crossed.

"Y'know, I'm not just gonna' tell you how to do what we do," Ruby teetered along ignoring the glare she knew was coming from Weiss. " **But** I want to support you."

"Gee, thanks…"

 **ooOOoo**

The awkward silence was killing her. It was amazing how quiet her partner could remain for long periods of time considering that Yang could barely contain herself. Adding Ruby to the mix just made things worse and it required a large effort on Weiss and Blake's part to maintain them. In that respect, Yang supposed it was good to have them around. They reached a secluded part of Beacon – one that Blake recognized as a spot she often hid when her team became just a tad overwhelming.

"How do you know about this place?!" Blake's voice hitched with genuine surprise.

"Other than this being where you sneak off to when you're feeling overwhelmed?" Yang looked up in thought. "I was concerned, so one day I followed you." The blonde turned to meet the highly unamused expression of her darker counterpart and she panicked. "I mean, I knew you wanted to be alone, so I didn't say anything to you! I just wanted to make sure nothing happened!" Yang scratched her head. "Look, I thought about what you said earlier about the partner stuff." She looked back to Blake with determination. "I want to make this right! We're supposed to have four years together, right? Soooo, maybe we could talk about ourselves?"

"…"

"Look! I wanted you to know that I **do** pay attention to you!" She averted her eyes. "I'm not having issues working with you because I don't like you… I just… Ugh! How do I explain it!" Blake took a small pleasure in watching the blonde's perplexed behaviors and mercifully decided to end her struggle.

"So, does that mean you know where I sit?" Blake's eyes tone was inquisitive.

"Yeah!" The brawler's determination returned. She pointed up to a tree branch that was mostly hidden by leaves. "You sit there and read until you calm down… Sometimes for hours." Yang's gaze became fixated on the ground and her arm slowly settled at her side. "Heh, you wear this small smile when something meaningful happens and your eyes brighten up when something exciting happens. It almost makes me want to read it, too…" She trailed off.

"Why do you pay so much attention?" Blake felt a bit perturbed by the fondness expressed in Yang's voice.

"Even if it's just for a little while, seeing you like that reminds me of the days before the accident… when Ruby wasn't pretending to be happy all the time." This revelation caught Blake's attention. "She hides things from me now… I can never tell what's going on with her, anymore." Yang became silent.

"Accident? Pretending?" Losing herself in her own thoughts, Yang leaned her back against the tree with her arms crossed behind her and ignored Blake's question. Blake's memory recalled a different Ruby – one that made her nervous. Just how much of Ruby was a lie?

" _I don't know about you, but all I see is the truth… and the truth is that the more you hide, the more you hurt yourself… but don't worry. Your secret's safe, kitty. I'll shoulder your mistakes too."_ She should have realized Ruby was telling her from experience, but what did that mean Ruby had to hide? Ruby didn't seem like the type to lie, so maybe she left the truth hidden in plain sight. Maybe, it was something Yang didn't see?

"We used to laugh and play together all the time – me, Ruby… Summer." Yang became revitalized and she looked back at Blake as she told her story. "Summer would jump up in the tree and hide but we'd never be able to get her! She was such a cheater! She would tell us that we had to figure out a way to get her to come down! We'd get so mad, but then Dad would come out with cookies! Summer would get so mad because he always burned them and she'd go back and make cookies that actually tasted good! We'd try to help her out and totally forget about the game, then we'd go back out and she'd put us on the branches and she would read to us… When Ruby got old enough to climb trees, she'd sit on that branch and read for hours. I'd practice my boxing with Dad but I'd get frustrated sometimes." The brawler's expression turned thoughtful. "But when I looked at Ruby and all those happy expressions she made while she was reading, I could focus again."

"Who's Summer?" The warmth Yang exuded every time she said this woman's name piqued Blake's curiosity. If she were to know more about Yang, let alone Ruby, this was probably a name to remember.

"Summer's our mo-" Yang stopped herself. "Ruby's mom." Blake kicked herself mentally. She never really gave much thought to it before, but the sisters didn't even share the same last name. They only ever spoke of their father and uncle, along with a mangy, drooling dog she hoped to never have the displeasure of meeting. Yang caught a hint of regret in Blake's eyes. "I don't remember my mom. I only ever knew of Summer, but I don't think I could have asked for a better mom! She was amazing and she gave me so much! I don't think I ever really realized that she wasn't my real mom – not 'til then anyways."

"'Til when?" Blake waited patiently, but Yang's eyes reflected confusion.

"I'm not sure what happened. One day, we went to Atlas. I can't remember much about it. I remember Ruby was excited to be _getting_ _a cape like the one Mom has_." Yang pressed her palm to her forehead, as if to clear the fog from her memories. "It's a blur after that. Some things are clear as day, other things blend together - faces I should know but can't make out, voices I should remember… Sometimes, things come back to me… But they're usually in the form of nightmares. I remember a lot of fire and being scared and unable to move… the Schnee logo… Ruby and some people in lab coats were panicking trying to find a way out. Ruby came towards me and then everything went black. I woke up back home and everything was different. I just knew things that I shouldn't know and…" She slammed a fist into the tree and leaned her head against it in defeat. "I don't have any proof, but I know everything that happened out there is my fault. I can't remember, Blake, but I know it is!... And Ruby won't tell me a damn thing! She just gives me this sad smile and says she doesn't remember either! She doesn't trust me, Blake." Yang looked at Blake with tears streaming from her eyes. "What did I do?" Blake lost herself in thought for a moment as a pit in her stomach opened up. "What did I do to my baby sister?"

"Yang," Blake swallowed hard. "What if it wasn't your fault? What if you were at a Schnee Center during a White Fang attack?" She looked down and silently prayed to herself that Yang hadn't found out about her past association with them. Her partner could very well harbor a vendetta against Faunus because of the past, even if she hid her lineage well. How would Yang have known though? Had Ruby said something? If Yang knew about her past and something she may or may not have been part of, would she try to harm her? She heard Yang move towards her and Blake's eyes opened in a horrible realization – Yang, the queen of puns, frightened her.

"Relax, kitty." A finger touched Blake's chin and lifted her face so that their eyes met. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'd never do something like that to you. Even if it had anything to do with the White Fang, how would I know? I can't remember, remember?" Yang tapped her temple and gave a goofy wink. "Rubes trusts you, so I trust you."

"You keep calling me 'Kitty'…" She eyed Yang suspiciously. "Why?" The blonde suddenly looked up to the sky and appeared to be focused on something. Curious, Blake turned around to see what she was so caught up with. "What are you looking at?" A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and she began to struggle. "Oh, what the hell, Yang! Let go!" Blake felt herself falling backwards, into Yang. She continued to struggle until she tired herself out and huffed as Yang chuckled. "Happy now? You win."

"No." Blake fell limp and felt herself being pulled in closer to Yang. Yang rested her head on top of Blake's. More aware of Yang than ever, Blake's senses took in everything about her partner from her well-endowed features, to the subtle scent of honey, to the pleasant heat that emanated from Yang's core, likely due to her semblance. It was comforting – a welcome change from earlier. Enough so that she closed eyes and relaxed into the embrace… She'd make the brute pay for it later but for now... A low rumble came from deep within Blake and her eyes shot open. _Oh no, please tell me I didn't._

"You purr." The voice was warm in her ears. _I did!_ Blake felt a little like dying right now. "You were nervous earlier. Cats purr when they're nervous… but you're happy right now, so you also purr." Blood rushed to Blake's face as Yang's lips brushed across the back of her bow. " **Now** , I'm happy."

"Y- Yang… st-stop…" She curled into a ball as she tried to resist the urge, but her feline ears were sensitive and flicked at Yang's touch. Pleased with herself, Yang snuggled into the crook of Blake's neck and molded herself around Blake, effectively spooning her. God dammit, why did she have to be so overwhelming in a one-on-one situation?

"They're cute." Her voice was shy and muffled. For a moment, Blake froze. Part of her was excited and wanted to welcome the acceptance her partner gave her, but a large part of her was skeptical and wanted to run. She swallowed and hoped she hadn't just been hearing what she wanted to.

"What?" Her body was rife with anticipation. She craved more of this attention – to become closer to this heat, but at what price? Yang's head rose closer to her more human ears.

"You're ears… They twitch when something is close to them. I noticed during initiation." Blake could feel a playful smile work its way across Yang's lips. "They're cute," she said more clearly. Her arms briefly tightened to convey support. "I kinda' hope one day you'll trust me enough to let me see them."

 **Go on.** A strange voice rang through Blake's mind and she closed her eyes to mentally shake it away. **You can trust her.** Ugh, this voice.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Blake's ears fell flat and her voice came out small and shy, reflecting her insecurity. She genuinely wondered why Yang's curiosity hadn't gotten the better of her sooner. Yang's arms loosened around her, replacing the warmth Blake had grown used to with a sense of hollowness. The blonde felt a small hand quickly latch on to her own, pressing firmly enough to suggest that her embrace was welcome to remain.

Yang gave a small laugh and obeyed her friend's wishes. She supposed it wouldn't hurt – after all, she'd already messed up earlier in the day. She could afford to remain the kitty's personal heater for a little longer. A moment of blissful silence passed between the two before Blake began to roll over. As Yang readjusted herself, her eyes caught sight of their hands. At some point, they had intertwined with one another without her noticing… or had she just been too comfortable to care?

"Yang…" The faunus' sultry voice snapped Yang out of her thoughts and she focused her attention on the cat girl. Desire, longing – These were some of the words one would use to describe the intentions reflected in the faunus' golden eyes. Yang's heart sank as she realized what this was – what Blake expected from her… The one thing she couldn't give her, out of her own fear. As Blake closed in, Yang broke eye contact with her. Tilting her head down, Yang told herself this was just a spur of the moment thing on Blake's end. She shivered as Blake's lips brushed across the tip of her nose and Yang's embrace loosened. Sensing something was wrong, Blake pulled back and tried to get a look at Yang's face, but it remained hidden. Panic overwhelmed the feline at the realization that she had sorely misread the situation and she felt sick.

"I can't…" Yang continued to look down, unable to decide whether it was out of fear or shame. She couldn't bring herself to look at the sadness she knew would saturate Blake's eyes, so she chose a lock of hair that draped over the faunus' shoulder. "I can't hurt you like that." Deciding the level of closeness between them was far too intoxicating; Yang stood up to put some distance between them.

"What do you mean?" Blake sat up to look at her. Part of her was upset with Yang because she felt lead on, another part concerned for Yang's sudden change in demeanor, and another part at herself for jumping to conclusions. How the hell did she go from being pissed at Yang earlier to being in this situation? "You just said you would never hurt me."

"Yeah, I know!" Yang's sudden outburst surprised the faunus. Her eyes widened when she realized she had startled Blake and she clenched her fists. "I know… It's… complicated, but I'm… removing the possibility that would come with that." The blonde hunched over from weariness. This was the first time Yang's exhaustion had become evident to Blake. How had she not noticed this tiredness or stress before? In general, anyone from their team should have been able to and it was very likely that Ruby had, but this was Blake's partner… how she been so unaware?

A wave of self-resentment hit her as she realized her true reason for being upset earlier: Blake Belladonna was jealous… of Ruby… Yang's sister… and their team leader. Somewhere along the line, Blake had developed a sense of reliance on Yang. She was the perfect partner for Blake – easily catching others in her momentum, yet never the type to pry and always there when needed - and Blake had become accustomed to it. But to think that Yang elected to go to someone else, even if they were sisters; that didn't sit well with her. It seemed her feline half had become territorial when it came to Yang and she had somehow been blind to it – or had chosen to ignore it. She bit her lip before deciding to push Yang a little further.

"You're hiding things. We all are, but I trust you enough to not hurt m- "At that moment, an epiphany hit Blake. "Is that why you can't work well with me?!" She jumped up and marched over to Yang, spinning her around to look her in the eyes. Blake's straightforwardness had caught the girl off-guard, but Blake didn't care – her pride was wounded. "Because you're afraid to hurt me?! Do you **not** trust me enough to be able to handle myself?!" Yang averted her eyes. "Seriously?!"

"It's not you that I don't trust."

"Yang Xiao Long, if you think you're just going to leave it there, you're sadly mistaken," Blake scolded. "Explain." She shoved her.

"Whoa, whoa, kitty cat!" Yang raised her hands up in defense. Blake shoved her again.

"No! You don't get to call me that, right now!" Anger was evident in her eyes. "Explain!"

"Alright, jeez." Yang rubbed her chest. "That hurt," she pouted to herself. "Originally, I was going to explain why Ruby and I were here, but… er." They both blushed before Yang moved on. "Anyway, Ruby wanted to be a huntress as kid, so she could help people. I just wanted the adventure – I didn't really care how. After the fire, Ruby said that while she still wanted to help people, she understood that everyone has darkness and her faith in people waivered a little. Rubes and I thought we could only rely on each other." Yang took a moment to consider the next part. "The local Hunter's Hall helps people out, so we started assisting them, but we always refused back-up. They'd only get in our way. Eventually, the hall expressed interest in having us work with them full-time, but the bosses brought up that we had an issue…" She looked away and scratched her head. It was funny the two sisters shared this habit. "Working with others… The head honcho has always been really supportive of us… like a second family with members whose faces we've never seen. They said that working with others would teach us a valuable lesson we would understand later. They wanted us to have the same experiences they did, so they suggested we shoot for Beacon. It was really inspiring!" She hesitated. "But you see, Ruby and I are so used to working with each other, we don't even need to talk. We can just feel each other's aura and know what to do."

"Feel each other's aura?"

"Yeah! It's awesome! Our semblances work really well together too!" Her excitement died down and she kicked at the ground. "But that's part of the problem… We don't really take into account the presence others around us. If we partner up, other people get caught up in the crossfire and if we separate, we fight like we're separate from the group… Not exactly 'team players', if you catch my drift…" She sighed. "Ruby's the only one who's been able to work around my semblance with minimal damages."

"So, I **am** holding you back." It was Blake's turn to look away, but Yang turned her head back.

"Don't say that, kitty cat." Her smile was warm and Blake's doubts melted away. "I'm just hard to work with, haha." Yang gave her signature grin. "Seriously though, if Ruby thought you'd hold us back, I wouldn't have wound up with you. She's really particular about things like that."

"Does that apply to Weiss, too? And what does that have to do with Ruby?" Yang winced at the mention of the Schnee girl.

"Yes… Weiss too." She hissed the heiress' name. "And honestly? You want to know about Rubes?" Blake took a moment to think. The girl in red intrigued her. She didn't hate her, but she made her uncomfortable and she supposed she may have even feared Ruby.

"Ruby… concerns me." The blonde quirked her eyebrow. "I don't dislike her! Ruby just… Does Ruby have a split personality?" The blonde busted into laughter.

"Oh, God, no! Hahahah!" She hunched over and waved Blake off.

"It isn't that funny!" Blake's hair puffed out and the blonde's laughter died out.

"I know what you mean, though!" She wiped away the tears in her eyes. "No, Ruby doesn't, but she can be a bit… unnerving sometimes. You mean the whole 'adorable one minute, intimidating the next' thing, right?" Blake nodded. "Don't worry about that. If she was like that to you, Ruby doesn't like when people lie to themselves. She adores you, just not that you hide your ears." Blake reached up toward her bow. "Rubes was ranting to me the other day that it bothers her that you have to hide." Yang smiled warmly. "We don't hate Faunus, Blake. We never have. We dislike the actions of the White Fang, but there are probably plenty that genuinely wanted to do something good, just like you."

"Wait, how did you-" Yang silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"I said I wouldn't have wound up with you if Rubes didn't want me to," the brawler winked. "Rubes has a knack for gathering information and finding people. She told me she already knew about you before we got here. She said you looked surprised when she brought up your bow the first day. Like I said though, I didn't actually know until initiation, so you don't have to worry about us blabbing your secret." Yang looked up in thought. "She did say you and Jaune did a really good job on your transcripts - almost as good as ours - but Jaune can't actually back up his talent."

"Wait, you saw my transcripts?!"

"No, I said **Ruby** saw them. She just mentioned them to me."

"You said that it was almost as good as yours. Why would you two need them?" Blake eyed her partner suspiciously.

"Did I say that?" The blonde's nerves visibly jarred.

"Yang!"

Alright, alright!" Yang urged Blake to chill out. "I mentioned my semblance is dangerous earlier."

"Yeah, but you seemed to have in check," the Faunus pointed out. "You haven't lost control of it here, even earlier."

"Well, I dial it back a lot..." She paused in thought before her voice picked up a sense of urgency to it. "Look, I trust you, I do! But it's myself that I can't trust. If I go all out, it might do something drastic! It's happened in the past before and I really only use it with Ruby because she's the only one who knows how to work with it and minimize damages."

"Was that what happened with the Aura Meters during the match before? The damages to yourselves?"

"Sort of. It's complicated to explain, but that's pretty much it." She turned away and bashfully kicked at the ground. "You've become really important to me and I'd never be able to forgive myself if I hurt you and Ruby would never forgive me if I hurt Weiss." Still facing away, the blonde rested her hands on her hips before turning back. It seemed she was trying to decide on a place to start. "It's rare for unfocused Aura to be able to physically manifest without being manipulated, but mine and Ruby's do. Sometimes people have a signature to their Aura, but it exists in like an Ethereal Plane or something. You can't touch it, but you can see it. In rare instances, a person's Aura is strong enough to reach our side – like mine and Ruby's – and ours compliment very nicely… When I take damage, I redirect it. It stores in my aura and once I activate it, it releases, but where does the unused energy go? It pools, but I can't just randomly use it whenever I want and that's the problem. If you want a better explanation, you'll have to ask Rubes, but it's something like I either have to fulfill certain conditions or it activates based on extremely emotional states, like being afraid or angry… and… I hurt Ruby very badly… while we were in Atlas… I remember that much."

"How badly are we talking?" Concern riddled Blake's voice.

"Bad enough for it to be necessary to fudge some major parts of our transcripts… and bad enough that I don't really want to talk about it. If you want to know badly enough, ask Rubes." Yang was quite curt about the subject.

"Oh…" The Faunus was disappointed with her partner's lack of willingness to reveal any further, but she supposed Yang had already been struggling with what she had put out. She figured that whatever was altered on Ruby's transcript had something to do with the disability that Ren had mentioned, but it struck her odd that Yang was deferring any further questions to Ruby, especially in regard to her own semblance. Instead, Blake settled for another question – one Yang **should** be able to answer. "Yang, you said you remember Schnee logos everywhere, but you trust Ruby's judgment. How do you feel about Weiss?" Yang made an irritated expression and looked to her side.

"I don't **hate** Weiss, but I'm getting there. Rubes trusts her, so I **want** to, but Weiss is a Schnee and acts just as self-entitled as the rest. I hate Schnees, and I refuse to be all bestie-like until I see what she sees… That and Ruby stopped keeping me in the loop shortly before we left for Beacon, but she's damn sure been all about Weiss. It's like she's hiding things from me and she's using Weiss as a shield."

"Oh? Heh heh." Blake's voice turned teasing. "Sounds to me like you're jealous of our resident Ice Queen."

"What?! Like hell! I'd never be jealous of someone like her! At least, I **have** a chance to be happy!" Yang pouted. "I'm hurt that you would even say that!"

"Oh, whatever! You don't even care!" The faunus laughed before returning to the subject. "I have mixed feelings on Ruby." The older sister wore an offended look and Blake rolled her eyes. "Ruby definitely has potential as a leader, but someone who can manipulate things to such an extent is suspicious. Her personality is very confusing and she honestly terrifies me, but then she's suddenly very sweet and fun to be around. I wonder how much she actually trusts **any** of us."

"Blake," Yang smiled warmly. "Try to get to know Ruby a little bit. I think you'll find she can be really pleasant to be around once she starts to open up. Who knows? Maybe she'll open up to you." Hope saturated the blonde's voice. "Then again, maybe it's just me being selfish and kinda' hoping that if you become friends, Ruby will stop avoiding me." Sadness reflected in the older sister's eyes and Blake felt for her. Maybe Yang was right. Maybe Ruby was just a little difficult to understand because Blake hadn't tried. Then again, she did that with the whole team, so it stood to be said that her relationship with the entire team could improve. Blake stood and silently made it her goal to try to crack the enigma that Ruby presented, and maybe even help the older sister with her problem. It was probably just some sort of misunderstanding on the dense blonde's side. She focused on the overflowing chalice of sadness that stood before her and longed to see her smile again - funny how contagious her normal happiness could be.

Still off in her own world, Yang's head hung helplessly until a pair of familiar hands gently cupped her face. A light-hearted feeling radiated between partners as gentle hands lifted the blonde's head so that amber and lilac hues connected. Taking the hint to cheer up, Yang gave a soft smile to reassure the kitty that she was alright – just simply frustrated that nothing ever went right. The feline stepped in closer, wrapping her arms around the brawler and nuzzling into her neck. Her scent was intoxicating, casting a gentle haze over the blonde. A buzzing sensation resounded in her head and she felt lost. Yang reciprocated the embrace, blanketing Blake in the warmth she had earlier been robbed of. The golden girl felt a tickle against her neck as Blake smiled against her warm skin and the brawler relaxed in her arms. A calm fell over them and they remained in this moment – neither willing to disturb the comfort they shared with one another. Blake nuzzled against her semi-conscious partner's neck once more, reminding Yang of her presence. She gently traced the arch of Blake's back with her thumb and Blake leaned back enough to meet her with half-lidded eyes. Blake smiled gently and loosely hung her arms around Yang's neck, slowly drawing her nearer.

"We should…" Yang found herself lost in those amber orbs. "Get back…" Their noses grazed each other. "Soon…" Their lips barely touching, Blake hesitated, leaving the decision up to Yang. She'd already been rejected once this evening and she wasn't about to get her hopes up again. Both girls hovered in place for a moment before Blake acknowledged Yang's words.

"Mmhmm." Yang's lips softly brushed against Blake's and she returned gesture. The blonde's grip became more assertive and she pulled Blake in more closely. Not to be outdone, Blake pulled at the blonde's neck line, encouraging her to continue. Blake began to feel a little adventurous and nipped at the blonde's bottom lip, catching it in her teeth and pulling lightly. The blonde laughed into the kiss and teased Blake back in the same fashion, playfully flicking the feline's top lip with her tongue. Hazily, she pulled back, still drunk on the feeling, but her eyes widened in the realization of what she had just done.

"No!" Frustrated with her own actions, Yang backed away. "I'm sorry… I can't!" Yang cursed under her breath with every step she took farther away and Blake smiled to herself. The blonde wasn't untouchable – she'd come around. She was stubborn, but Blake was patient. All Blake needed was confirmation that there was something there and that was what she had gotten. For now, Blake decided maybe she could indulge in her own whimsical nature. After all, she was the cat and Yang was her mouse... She wrapped her arms around herself and slid down the wall… Her really warm mouse… Oh Dust, she was sappy. It may have been time to lay off those books…

Nah.

* * *

 **So that was a thing. I've been sitting on this for a while because I thought maybe I moved Blake and Yang along too quickly. Ruby and Weiss are meant to develop a lot more slowly, but I decided that ultimately, Yang's reactions will lend to further developing the storyline. I don't have everything exactly planned out and I needed to give Blake a reason to do certain things later on. I thought it might be cool to have Blake as a bit more of a pursuer-type since I'm changing some of Yang's characteristics to show that both girls have dominant and submissive sides to them (not in a BDSM way). Please keep in mind, some things will remain the same in the show, some events will also still happen (past and present), though the results and how they happened may be altered (ie – Cinder and Emerald discussing Ruby in reference to Roman). These events will be brought up as key plot points later. I'm sure you'll notice that Yang and Ruby's have slightly different recollections of what happened in Atlas. It's safe to say some things are being hidden, even between the sisters. I wonder if that will come back to bite them? I'm sure there are things I have forgotten to address, as well. Sorry if clear explanations are not offered. Feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer! We'll be caught up to the Prologue chapter here soon! Holy shit, my leg hurts… I'm going to bed.**


	6. Sunrise: Part I

A/N: Been a while, but I'm back! I've been so busy recently with the whole music thing! My knee injury still sucks and I feel like every time I start getting better, I mess it back up. Either way, I sorta' took a step back to regroup on this story. There's still a couple things I'm not too sure on, but I'll see how they work when I get there. Anyway, this arc will be where things start to pick up. Part 3 has the action so far and is currently being edited. I'll have them up soon!

* * *

"Alright, this is like the sixth time in the last two weeks! May I **please** enter **our** room?!" Agitated words fell on the blonde's deaf ears as she leaned heavily against the door to their room. It was just another day in Beacon's dorms and, just as every day, the commotion between the resident Ice Queen and Golden Dragon caught the attention of their many curious neighbors; one such room belonging to Team JNPR.

"Yang, I'd actually like to relax and maybe read a bit too. It's been a long day," Blake's monotone voice chimed in. This was the first time since the entire fiasco began that Yang acknowledged anyone. Straightening at the familiar voice, their eyes locked and Yang blushed, remembering the previous night's events. On the outside, Yang initially appeared cool and collected, but she shrunk inward at the sound of Blake's less than amused voice. The blonde bit her lip and shifted her eyes elsewhere. Right now, Blake's presence made the stalwart guardian feel uneasy – unsure of herself, her purpose at Beacon, and most of all, Blake's safety... The poor girl could wind up a victim of Yang's emotions, like Ruby. After last night, would Blake hound her? Would they even still be able to work together? "Yang?... The room?"

"Not yet." Even if she was feeling uneasy, Yang still had a duty to uphold: Keep everyone out of the room. For now, Ruby's secret had to be kept, at least until she was ready – if she was ever ready… but it was her responsibility as the big sister.

"And why, may I ask, is that?" The heiress' irritation grew with each passing second, as was evident by the impatient tapping her foot. Blake sighed and moved over to Team JNPR's door. At least, maybe they could pass the time while the butting personalities of her team clashed.

"Uh, hey, Blake!" Jaune greeted. "Same as always, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Ah… well, eventually, they'll get along, right?" He shrugged. "Can't hurt to hope."

"I don't know… I'm still learning about Yang, but I do know that whatever it is has to do with Ruby. I just don't think that Weiss gets that." The raveness leaned near JNPR's doorframe. "It would be nice to get past this phase though… Just be able to be comfortable with each other. I'm sure we can all reach some sort of agreement."

"If it's any consolation, Blake, we're still getting used to each other," Pyrrha offered. Deep in the recesses of JNPR's room, Blake could have sworn she heard Ren begging to calm herself as she laughed manically at a game full of flashing colors. How she hadn't gone into an epileptic shock was a wonder in and of itself, but Blake wasn't one to question miracles when it came to Nora.

A sudden jar of Team RWBY's door caused Yang to lose her balance. Surprised, she heaved forward and spun around. Ruby peaked through the crack, making sure it was safe to open the door and Yang gave her a thumb up. She sighed heavily and slowly opened the door part way. Weiss saw this as an opportunity and gunned for it, but Yang's leg blocked her path. The heiress huffed at Yang, opening her mouth to protest, but stopped at the heartfelt look exchanged between the sisters. Body half hidden by the door, Ruby wore a troubled expression and gripped a long ace bandage in her right hand.

"Are you okay?" The older sibling spoke in a motherly tone.

"I need help." Ruby's voice was child-like and full of shame. Yang flashed a reassuring smile and sighed warmly.

"Rubes, I keep tellin' ya' – if you need help, don't be afraid to ask! That's what I'm here for!" Certain that Weiss was would no longer fight for entrance, Yang dropped her leg and entered the room.

"Ruby!" Weiss called. "Wait! What's wrong! If you need hel-"

"Not from you, Schnee." Threatening eyes peered over Yang's shoulder as she glared behind her and closed the door, so a worried and upset Weiss joined the others.

"Seriously! If there's something wrong, we should know!" The heiress stomped. "How am I supposed to help if I don't know what's wrong!"

"Help?" Blake chuckled to herself. "That's an amusing word coming from you." Weiss leered at her darkly colored teammate.

"Maybe, just **maybe** , I might have decided Ruby is deserving of my concern…"

"Well, that's a big decision for you!" Blake said sarcastically. "If only we could all just decide things on a whim. Homework must have been too easy if you're challenging yourself to care about someone."

"I see you've been spending too much time with the oaf," Weiss mumbled and flat golden eyes leered back at her. "Blake, I really don't need this from you too. I'm concerned about my partner! There's something wrong with Ruby and Yang's hiding it!" Blake grimaced to herself. It wasn't really her place to say anything, especially when Ruby hadn't really opened up about it, but it couldn't hurt to give the vague information she knew.

"Look… I do know that Ruby has an injury of some sort and it's permane-"

"And you were hiding this?!" Weiss shrieked. Annoyed by the interruption, Blake shut her eyes and summoned every ounce of willpower into not choke-slapping the shit out of her high-strung teammate… Wait, choke-slapping?! Maybe she had been around Yang a bit too much recently.

"Uh, Weiss, I think she's getting to that," Jaune said timidly.

"Thank you, Jaune." Blake smiled at him before returning to Weiss. "As I was saying, it seems that it's a permanent injury. Yang mentioned it to me last night. She didn't say much, though." She could afford to leave it at that. If they wanted to know more, they'd have to wait until the sisters were more comfortable with them.

"Speaking of you and Yang, what was that with you two earlier? I'm pissed, but not blind. You two have been acting strange around each other today." The heiress eyed her suspiciously. "Not to mention how late you two got back."

"I didn't know you were my keeper, Weiss." Blake returned to her lack of amusement. "We ran into each other on the way b-" Weiss' hand shot up in front of Blake, cutting her off.

"I'm gonna' stop you right there. You and I both know you left with Yang and stayed out with her." Weiss withdrew her hand and placed both on her hips. "I'd appreciate not being lied to and at least being able to understand when something is wrong… I'm… concerned for everyone on this team…" The heiress blushed and looked away. "As a friend." A long silence ensued and Weiss felt the pressure of her fellow classmates stares. Daring to look back at them, she was greeted with widened eyes, along with another addition to the squad. It seemed the debacle had caught enough of Nora's attention to pry her away from her game, as she was currently leaning into Blake's ear.

" **FRIEND** , FRIEND, FRIend, frie- ack!" Nora tried to mimic as much of an echo in Blake's ear as she could before Ren snagged her collar and dragged her back to her game.

"Nora, leave them alone."

"But, Renny"

"No buts…"

"Awwww, drats!" Nora kicked at the ground and collapsed in a pout, snuggling against a sloth pillow. "At least he understands! Don't you, Mister Sloth!" Blake shook her head at the sight and returned back to Weiss.

"What did Ruby say to you for you to change so drastically over night?"

"Oh, I can't actually just maybe have cared a little bit before everything yesterday?" Weiss crossed her arms and looked away again. "Just… suppose Ruby and I agreed to try being more open about ourselves… just… steps is all…" The heiress worked herself into an embarrassed mess of a mumble.

"UWAAAAAH!" Nora squeed delightfully from the room and Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. _Saved by Nora. Thank Dust!_

"Nora… Nora, Nora…. STOP! Uuungmmpph…" A loud scuffle took place, followed by a loud dragging sound. The ecstatic girl appeared at the door with Ren clinging to her. "I… tried… failed…" Ren slumped to the ground at her feet.

"The Sunrise Sisters are coming to town! Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod," she danced in place excitedly. "They'll be in Vale **TODAY!** " The last word ended in a high pitched squeal. "I haven't seen them in **years** and – oh, Renny! We have to go see them! They're so amazing and strong and and and…. UWAAAHH!" With a speed that almost rivaled Ruby's, she ran around the room tearing through her closet and reappeared moments later with two different shirts. "Oh, guys, which one looks better!... What?"

"Uh, Nora, are you even going to try to explain?" Jauned prodded. "I don't think any of us have any idea who the Sunrise Sisters are."

"Nope." Weiss shook her head.

"Count me out too," Blake added. Nora's heart sank at her friends' lack of knowledge. Had they even lived?

"They're Mercenary Huntresses that also participate in the UHC – both the TT and FFA divisions." Pyrrha saved her friends from Hurricane Nora. Nora smiled, clearly pleased with Pyrrha, but it figured she would know. Pyrrha herself was a known contender.

"UHC? TT? FFA? What?" Jaune voiced the questions that neither Blake nor Weiss had been willing to admit for fear of looking dumb.

"Shame on you, Jaune! The queen is displeased! Gallant knight!" She directed herself toward Ren. "Off with his head!" Again, Pyrrha came to their rescue.

"Ultimate Huntsman Championships. Around 20 years ago, they introduced the Tag Team and Free-For-All divisions that have been getting popular recently. In early years, only those who were skilled in Martial Arts were allowed – it was called UFC back then. With the introduction of the UHC, these two divisions were opened up to anyone who could hold their own against a licensed hunter, regardless of license level. They are permitted to use weapons, aura, and Dust, as well. It's just like the Vytal Festival's tournament, except for the permitting all ages and skill levels part."

"Right-oh!" Nora declared. "I love that Pyrrha knows this!"

"Can't be helped when I've participated," Pyrrha said bashfully. "Reaper and Scylla are from Patch, aren't they?" Blake perked up.

"Yang and Ruby's hometown?"

"AND ours!" Nora stomped. "Sort of… but don't tell them! Especially not Ya-" KREEEEEEEEEN. Nora broke into a nervous sweat. "…Oh god…"

"Who's here?" With eyes hidden by her bangs, Yang stood in the doorway to Team RWBY's room. A half insane grin spread across her face, exuding a strong murderous intent. To her side, Ruby struggled to weasel her way through, but Yang refused to budge. After a moment, she managed to squeeze past and collapsed to the ground.

"Oh, c'mon, Yang! Let it go!"

"No!" Yang shouted. "EVERY YEAR they steal our clients, not to mention the amount of OTHER things they've stolen from us! Sunrise Sisters was **totally** our name first!"

"They **do** make them look pretty bad," Nora chimed in.

"Not helpiiing," Ruby almost sang through her teeth. "Seriously, Yang, don't worry about them!" She motioned to the rest of the group. "If we're going, I suggest changing out of the Beacon uniform." Nora saluted Ruby and disappeared excitedly with the rest of JNPR and the monochrome half of Team RWBY flashed concerned looks to each other before doing the same.

"How the **hell** can Reaper and Scylla even be here?" Yang asked.

"That **is** a concern and I will voice my concerns about the presence of Fear-related units being overkill later. Just leave it for now…"

"But… the clien-"

"Leave it! I promise you, this client won't be leaving us." Ruby reassured.

"That's reassuring," Yang was heavy with sarcasm.

"This one is different. We've been working for this client for years… Think of them as more of a… primary benefactor."

"Years?... Wait… the client you won't tell me about?! **That's** why we're at Beacon?! The client from…" Yang's gritted her teeth and aura began to coat her body. "What the hell, Rubes! We'll wind up back in Atlas at this rate!"

"No! Yang, we **will not** wind up back in Atlas, **ever** again." Weiss peaked from the door, catching the tail-end of the conversation. Ruby's outburst had caught her by surprise causing her to timidly make her way back out, but what was that about Atlas? "…Yang, you're semblance..." As Yang focused on withdrawing her aura, Ruby pondered for a moment. "The spread was way too quick… That reminds me, we need to go into town anyway… Dust… Arti-charge…" She started to mumble to herself.

"I'd rather not do it today," Yang mumbled as the rest of the group poured out one by one.

"On to get our passes to Vale!" Yang face-palmed at Ruby's sudden burst of excitement and the group began to walk toward their destination. "Relax, Yang. They won't do anything." Ruby ran a hand through her hair. "It's probably just the Hall putting on a show by increasing presence in the area. It likely means that I was right about our client's mark being here and they're sending reinforcements. I just didn't think they'd send **those** reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?"

"My job was to locate a particular group of individuals and evaluate the situation. That's all. I put in my report the other day and the client was supposed to determine the severity of the case based on my evaluation and then get back to me. As they never did, I assume this was the client's answer. I won't argue with them. If we don't have to get our hands dirty, I'd rather stay out of it. You know, maybe be a little normal for once."

"… No offense Rubes, but you and I can never **be** normal…" Ruby looked away from Yang before working up false excitement and eagerly pointing skyward.

"Uhhh, are we just gonna' slide past the whole _clients_ thing?" Jaune asked. What, did they work for some sort of top secret spy agency or something? He started to pour buckets of sweat. Crap! That meant they'd totally be aware of his fake transcripts.

"Oh! Yesterday, Renny and I mentioned that their family picks up jobs from the local Hunter's Hall," Nora chimed in. "Ruby and Yang were the only Huntresses-In-Training given permission to pick up jobs," she looked up and touch a finger to her chin. "I'm pretty sure it's because they most took Search-and-Rescue jobs or were supervised by Mister Qrow… or did he make you two do those? I'm not sure." Yang sighed with exasperation.

"Uncle Qrow's missions sucked and Dad rarely wanted to do them. We got enough experience that the Hall allowed us to take more difficult stuff, but it wasn't anything too drastic. At least, I don't remember anything. You?" It was an odd question directed at Ruby. Blake remembered that Yang said she had difficulty remembering past events from Atlas, so it seemed odd that she turned to Ruby to remember something more recent.

"Eh, there may or may not have been some stuff at some times," Ruby crossed her arms behind her head as she walked.

"Gee, real specific! I couldn't have asked for more detail!" The blonde stated sarcastically.

"I'm glad I was able to give you such thorough information," Ruby's replied with equal sarcasm. Two could play at that game, but Yang decided to voice one of her most prominent concerns.

"But seriously though, we can't even afford the tuition here. You might not want to face the reality, but you know we probably won't even finish out the year here, Rubes." The group looked at the two sisters, freezing when Ruby stopped. "It's only fair that they know this too." Everyone was quiet at the thought of the loss of both sisters. It wouldn't be the same. Inside, Blake seemed to hurt the most and it showed on her face when her eyes met Yang's. There was a certain bitter sweetness to this knowledge. Maybe this was part of why Yang had pushed her away. They had clearly been very comfortable with each other. **We're supposed to have four years together, right?** Suddenly, Yang's choice of phrasing made sense. It all made sense.

"Yang, don't worry ab-"

"Rubes, I swear to Dust if you tell me not to worry about something one more time…"

"Don't. Worry. About. It." Ruby defiantly emphasized each word. "For starters, I already finished the assignment a couple weeks ago. If we were leaving, we'd already be gone… Y'know, it would be nice to be committed to something and actually finish it out, for once - y'know, stability."

"Yeah, but we can't-"

"Already taken care of, Yang! Jeez, it's like you're not listening," Ruby grinned. "Let's just say I did this assignment as a 'Thank You' to our benefactor. We're attending Beacon as actual students, Yang. I did a lot to get us in here at the same time, Sis. It's for real. It's not fake this time. We don't have false identities. We aren't hiding in plain sight. **We** are real." Ruby turned around and began to walk backward with her arms folded behind her head. She wore a genuine smile. "I keep calling our client our benefactor for a reason. Every so often, she checks in with me to see how we're doing. She was pleased to hear we were considering continuing our education and getting licensed… soooo…" Ruby took a deep breath before speeding through the next portion. "The deal may or may not have been that if I impressed Ozpin enough to receive a scholarship, you would receive a full ride through Beacon, as well as we would get more than enough to fund a small army… and the last time you saw the budget for our upkeep, you cried…"

"Okay, so I just learned that our 'benefactor' has a gender now and… we really don't have to leave?" Yang asked hopefully.

"Yup!" Ruby popped the 'P'. "We're here to stay!" Yang eyed her suspiciously.

"You're leaving something out."

"… I keep turning her down, but on graduation, we've both offered extremely good jobs… If you knew who she was, you'd never even consider the job. Even I told her I have a few requirements to be met before I'd even consider it. Besides, I'm pretty happy with where the future's taking me."

"And where's that?" Weiss spoke up, earning a sly grin from Ruby. The siblings' lives were an endless pool of mystery, filled by strange circumstance, a tragic history, and the oddest habits. It truly gave them the perfect makings of a novel, but only now had it occurred to her how much she truly did not know about either of the sisters. She literally just had the hook of the story. Maybe looking into them or even just putting in the effort would help to unlock the mystery.

"Hey Yang, up for a wager?" Fires lit up the older sister's eyes. "Bet me I won't be teacher here when everything's said and done!" Yang looked at her skeptically.

"That's your goal? But you can easily do that in Patch…" Yang rubbed her chin and debated out loud. "But it's challenging here; you might not be Beacon teaching material." She grinned before shaking Ruby's hand. "You're on!... And no cheating! Do it fair and square! No fancy tricks! Beacon's nothing but the best, so that's what they deserve!" Ruby waved her off.

"I got it, I got it." Ruby said dismissively.

"Ruby wants to be a teacher?" Pyrrah asked. "I always took Ruby more for being out on the field."

"Oh, I do! I just have something very specific in mind… Something that not a whole lot of people are aware of. " She scratched at her cheek. "There's not a whole lot of awareness about it and my life's pretty much dedicated to it anyway, but I'll get there when I get there!" They approached the office clerk. "Hi… ummm, we need…" Ruby looked back. "8? Day Passes for Vale City today." The clerk smiled before asking for each student to swipe their scroll across a blue pentagon. With each swipe, the scroll would appear with a 'Permission Granted' message. They were instructed to simply swipe their scrolls when boarding the Bullhead, otherwise they would be denied entrance.

"On that note, Yang, I need the list of stuff we need! I'm gonna' run up and grab it real quick!" Ruby ran back towards the dorms.

 **ooOOoo**

"What's taking that dolt so long?" Weiss checked her scroll. They had been waiting a good 20 minutes in front of the Bullhead to Vale.

"So much for being nice," Blake mumbled under her breath.

"I'm concerned, Blake! There's a difference!" The heiress huffed. "She's smart but she gets distracted so easily! What if she gets lost?!" This earned a laugh from the busty blonde.

"Hah! Lost!" She continued to chuckle to herself. "Fat chance, Schnee."

"Well…" Weiss puffed up and then faced away. "I'm going to see what's taking so long!"

"Suit yourself, princess!" Yang crossed her arms behind her head and leaned against a tree. "Don't get too let down!" The heiress stormed off grumbling about Yang being a pain in the ass.

"Yang…" A stern voice approached her… Blake… The nervousness from earlier returned to her and she looked downward. "At least try to make an effort to get along with Weiss." Yang looked at her defiantly and Blake sighed. "If not for me, then for Ruby."

"I **am** being nicer… Just… There are some things I won't budge on when it comes to Rubes!" Blake looked at her expectantly. A different form of nervousness grew inside Yang - the kind when a person is being put on the spot. "Look, you just don't understand our relationship! That's all!"

"Relationship? Ooooo!" Nora suddenly zoned in on the conversation. "What **kind** is that?" She wore a grin. "Is it… a **forbidden** relationship? Oh, the scandal!" Blake's nose began to bleed. _That would explain…_

"Ew, no! That's my sister!" _Never mind._

"Nora, stop," Ren exhaled in aggravation.

"What! Poor phrasing!" Nora's menacing eyes switched to Blake and a mischievous grin worked itself across her face. "I've seen those books you read!" Blake became pale and very reminiscent of a statue. _I would give_ _ **anything**_ _to not be here right now…_

 **ooOOoo**

Fellow students of Beacon dotted the halls of the dorm as Weiss made her way back to check on Ruby. A few spared glances at Weiss as she passed by, some even extending a friendly hello, but Weiss was in too much of a hurry to stop and chat. She had a mission – make sure the dunce was alright. In her mind, Weiss imagined the helpless look on Ruby's face when she had called Yang into the room. What if she needed help and no one was there. What if, for some ungodly reason, Ruby wasn't within Scroll's-reach and couldn't contact Yang? Couldn't contact her... just when they had resolved one of their many issues. The two were starting a new understanding as partners, and if nothing else, Weiss refused to let Day One consist of 'Stranded In Bedroom Alone'. Surely, with some time, Ruby would open up about the issue and they would grow closer.

Weiss turned around the corner from their room and hurried toward her destination. As she closed in, she noted the door was partially open. The closer she got, the more she heard a voice coming from the room: Ruby's, to be exact. Cardin crossed her mind and Weiss prepared to head in, stopping herself when she heard a name.

"Dad!"Oh, a phone call. The girl in white sighed inwardly. She had gotten herself riled up for no reason. "We're fine! Yang is fine – I'm fine! We're on the same team, too." The defensive tone of Ruby's voice was indication enough of her father being overly concerned – probably a man going through withdrawals of having his babies overseas… Must be nice…

"…Yes, if Yang gets out of control again, I'll call!... She won't! I've done this before, Dad. I know what I'm doing. Yang, will be fine… Yes, my arm is okay too… No, I'm not worried about it. I'm…" Ruby's voice became more dejected. "I'm more concerned about things with my partner… Er, her name doesn't matter… I know! Jeez, both you and Yang are saying the same things! All that matters is that we're on the same team! The initiation was exactly like yours, so I got the team I wanted. **That** is what matters…" Since Ruby opened up, Weiss had wondered why the rest of the team was mentioning that Ruby handpicked her team. As far as she had known, the initiation was purely luck. This revelation somehow made more sense. Ruby had previous information… that somehow, even the Schnee's were unable to get… Just who was Ruby's father? Maybe this would be a conversation for a later time.

"Look, Dad, I love you, but I gotta' go. We're going into town to pick up some stuff. Just, if you could, just get that info I need, please. I don't have a good feeling about this… Okay, I love you too… Bye." Weiss felt that now was a good time to make herself known. Slowly, she opened the door the rest of the way, causing Ruby's head to snap in her direction.

"Whoa, easy, dolt!" Weiss held her hands up.

"Oh, it's you, Weiss… Oh,crap!" Ruby hastily jumped to her feet. "I'm sorry! I lost track of time! I said I'd only be a few minutes and then my dad and then there was this stuff he asked and all this other stuff and…" Ruby clapped her hands together and bowed. "I'm so sorry!" Unable to process whatever was in that run-on of a sentence that came from her partner's mouth, Weiss stared at her with a vegetative look.

"Ruby, I'm not mad… Just concerned is all. You took a while and I thought maybe," Weiss averted her eyes. "You got hurt or something." Ruby perked up at this and smiled at her partner.

"You were worried about little ol' me?" She latched on to Weiss' arm. "Aw, you shouldn't have!" Weiss' initial reaction was to blush and step back, but after a moment she decided maybe this side of Ruby wasn't so bad. It beat the sometimes "menacing yet frighteningly stupid genius" or "goob that brandished false smiles" she often experienced. This Ruby was genuinely happy and she wasn't about to take that away, so maybe, protecting this smile would be Weiss' secret vow. Which reminded her – Ruby had hidden the fact that Weiss was her partner, even though she had told him that they hadn't been getting along. _Well, now's as good a time as any for that new start._

"Yes. Yes, as a matter of fact, I was," Weiss smiled warmly and patted Ruby's head, ruffling her hair. It was nice to feel warmth between herself and another person, rather than the cold, often strained tethers she had at the Schnee Manor. "Dolt, we should go, before the others think we're **both** lost."

"Yush! On to Vale!" The overly-ecstatic girl grabbed Weiss' hand and activated her semblance. Within seconds, Weiss found herself at the center of their friends' attention, latched onto Ruby for dear life. "We're here!"

"Could you warn me next time?!" Weiss flicked Ruby in the forehead as she let her down.

"Hehe, sorry," Ruby stuck her tongue out with a child-like delight. Dear God, she was different from yesterday's Ruby, which also clearly showed in their friends' faces. "Well, c'mon! You said we were running late! Let's go!" Despite her resistance, Ruby started pushing Weiss towards the Bullhead.

"Hey! I can move on my own!"

"Less talkie, more walkie!" Ruby and Weiss disappeared into the Bullhead.

"Um, did anyone else think she was acting weird?" Jaune decided to voice everyone else's thoughts.

"Hey! C'mon, guys! Hurry up!"

* * *

AN: Sunrise Part II up soon! This arc brings the story up to the prologue.


	7. Sunrise: Part II

**A/N: I can officially update more regularly! We officially finished with our CD Release stuff, so I'm freeeee! It was awesome and totally worth the hard work, but now I have time to tend to my writing again! Unfortunately, it has also ended with me getting sick T_T. I feel like doodoo. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter. You get some good-natured development between Ruby and Weiss this time. Oh, and we've passed 200 followers! You guys are Awesome Sauce!**

* * *

"Blargh!"

"Again?! Oh man! This is great! Barf Boy is back in business!" Yang slapped Jaune's back a good couple times. "Oh! I meant to do this last time!" The shutter of Yang's scroll snapped relentless as she saved photos of him. "Ah, memories!"

"Yang, aren't you being a little inconsiderate to Jaune?" Concern saturated Pyrrha's words as she came to her leader's rescue.

"Huh? Inconcentrate? Never heard of – Ow!"

"I'll handle this one." Blake grimaced to herself, dragging a protesting Yang away by her ear.

"Alright! There's so much stuff to do in town!" An excited Nora declared. As she scoped the town, something caught her eye. "Oh, Renny! Look, the arcade! Win it for me!" The flames of determination burned in her eyes and she clenched her fists together, staring him down before ringing and arm around his neck and hauling him off toward the arcade. "Let's all meet at the loading dock when they arrive," she called back leaving a trail of dust behind her. Ruby and Weiss waved and laughed meekly in return.

"Well, that was a thing."

"Of course you'd be the one to say that in Yang's place," Weiss poked Ruby in the forehead. "I guess that just leaves us… Didn't you have some things to get?"

"Er, but what about Pyrrha and Jaune?" Ruby motioned toward the still sick boy.

"Don't – bleeeh – wor – bleeeeh," Jaune couldn't seem to get a word out.

"Don't worry about Jaune. You two go ahead. I'll get him better and we'll all meet up later!" Pyrrha rubbed his back soothingly. Jaune managed enough of a reprieve from his current state to give a thumb up. "Go on ahead! We'll see you soon!" The gladiator smiled warmly at them and waved.

"Ok… Well, call us if you need anything! I'll be here ASAP!" Ruby said, waving back. She strutted forward cheerfully; almost amused with the very world around… to the point Weiss almost didn't recognize her. Ruby began to count off on her fingers. "I need to hit the combat shop, dust shop, electronic…" Her eyes widened. "Weiss! We should get food! Let's mmmfffmmm." Ruby was cut off by Weiss shoving her hand in her face.

"Whoa, slow down! I know that concept might seem alien to you, but let's take it one step at a time."

"But Weeeeisss," Ruby whined. "There's so much cool stuff and we don't have a lot of time and I have to get so much done and I want it all and – and – and," Weiss cut her off again.

"Ruby, seriously, one thing at a time!" She crossed her arms and glared. "I don't get what's so great about all these places anyway. They all have the same things every time." The heiress took a few steps forward before realizing the lack of noise being emitted from her partner. She looked back to see Ruby standing in shock, almost offended, even. "Uh, Ruby?"

"Weiss…" The younger girl's expression furrowed.

"Yes?" She asked hesitantly. Ruby closed her eyes and walked up to her partner, firmly gripping her shoulders with an audible pat. Eager eyes opened and she stared confidently at her.

"Today, I'm the teacher! Follow!" Weiss found herself being dragged toward a random store. The snow white girl momentarily stopped struggling and clung to Ruby, knowing what came next. Once more, the world became a blur around her and in a moment's time, she found herself wobbling in front of a shop.

"Ru- Ruby…" Weiss wandered toward the wall and leaned on it. "Pl- please warn me before you do that."

"Oh! Sorry! I just got so excited. I keep forgetting that Yang and I are the only ones used to it," she beamed. "C'mon!" The speed didn't even phase the blonde anymore?... Weiss took a moment to let that burrow inside of her. Of course it made sense. They were sisters and Ruby had just explained to her how well they worked together… It just meant Weiss had to force herself to get used to it… A small movement caught her peripheral, bringing her out of her thoughts, and she found the bundle of excitement offering a hand to her. She gratefully accepted it and was dragged into the what Ruby declared was a "Little Shop of Wonders".

Inside, an array of weapons and armors decorated the walls, as was expected of any weapon establishment. Displays with the newest model parts sat atop shelves and tables. Boxes of ammos, fuels, and lubricants adorned the displays, as well. Weiss watched as Ruby excitedly bounded between each item, rambling about firing rates, alloy types, and new models she hadn't seen before. A few other customers with unique weapon designs caught Ruby's eye and Weiss found the girl rambling on in the same alien language. It wasn't that she didn't know anything about weapons; it was that Weiss didn't particularly care to go into as much detail as Ruby. Weiss knew what she needed to know to keep Myrtenaster operable and that was that.

"Weiss! Weiss! C'mere!" The crimson and coal-haired girl tugged at her partner's bolero sleeve. Initially, Weiss wanted to stay put, but seeing the excited expression her partner wore, Weiss decided she wasn't one to take it away. She smiled and obliged Ruby's request. "I wanted to show you! There's some new stuff here! I've been thinking about some additions to Crescent Rose and I think there are some modifications I could make for Mytenaster too! Oh! And I need to add more shock absorption to Ember Celica. Yang's been using a stronger mix in her rounds recently and it's not gonna' hold up much longer at this rate…. And… well, I mean Gamble Shroud could always have a longer reach right? Maybe a stronger cord? Oh! And then I have this project! I need this… and this… and this, and this…"

"Ruby, slow down!" Weiss head began to spin. "If you have plans for Myrtenaster, let alone anyone else's weapon, don't you think you should talk to us first?" Ruby's eyes sank. "I know you mean well, but they're suited to our individual styles."

"Well, I do all of Yang's modifications. I mean, I guess Schnee's can just pay someone to do it," she fidgeted a little. "But it's just there's a new cylinder model that would have better performance than the current one. Storage is better too. It'd be almost impossible for you run out, let alone even have to carry refills. I thought it might be a good time to do it since it's about time for you to do your maintenance."

"You keep track of that?" Weiss asked dumbfounded.

"Well, yeah! Every Sunday, like clockwork, you clean and oil Myrtenaster. I dunno', maybe it's your 'beginning of a new week' ritual or something." Weiss eyed her suspiciously. "What! I'm the leader! I'm supposed to know what my team does!... aaaand it's my job to make suggestions so we can operate like a well-oiled machine." Weiss rolled her eyes Ruby's lame explanation. She sighed and shrugged.

"I suppose I could let you make **one** alteration." She shifted her glance to the different parts, returning to the world of confusion. She recognized some parts, but couldn't even fathom where to start. "Um, Ruby?" She began to sweat.

"Yes?"

"Where do we begin?" Ruby giggled.

"Follow me! I need to check out Myrtenaster's parts first, though! May I?" The crimsonness motioned toward the fencer's blade. Weiss removed Myrtenaster from her, hesitating a moment before entrusting its care to Ruby. "Just trust me." The girl smiled warmly at Weiss, cradling Myrtenaster, and cooing at it. "Don't worry! I'll take care of you, baby! Mommy's letting me help you become the greatest of masterpieces! Just like her!"

"Ruby!" The heiress scrambled to hide her flustered face and Ruby simply stuck her tongue out at her. _What the hell!_

"Yes, milady?" A small smile worked across Ruby's face and she reached out toward Weiss' face, moving her hand aside. "I'm at your service, Princess!" Weiss' blush grew and she turned away.

"Dolt!" After a moment of silence, Weiss heard the familiar sound of Myrtenaster's cylinder spinning. She turned around, finding Ruby's attention focused intently on the blade.

"Miss Rose! Good to see you again!" A friendly shop keep came over. The portly man smiled warmly at her before continuing. "I see you have a new friend with you today. Yang isn't with you?"

"No, she's with her partner today," she mused, her attention still focused on Myrtenaster. "And I'm here with mine!"

"Ah, I see! And to what do I owe the pleasure of being graced by such loveliness?" Weiss blushed as his eyes worked over Myrtenaster. Part of her felt like a piece of herself was being admired. "What is her name?"

"Myr-Myrtenaster," Weiss stuttered.

"Ah! A lovely name for a lovely blade!" He offered Myrtenaster to Weiss. "And a lovely blade for a lovely lady! If you take care of her, she will take care of you!" Weiss wondered for a moment if the shop keep was where Ruby picked up this ridiculous behavior.

"O-oh! Um, thank you." It was strange thinking of Myrtenaster as a being. Sure, a weapon was meant to operate as a an extension of one's aura, but Ruby, the shop keep, and other enthusiasts like them looked at their weapons as an extension of themselves – a part of them, even. This sparked a sudden flame of inspiration inside the heiress and she became eager to step into Ruby's world. Ruby recognized this look and smiled, turning back to the shop keep.

"So, what can I do for you ladies, today?"

"Actually, I have a list of things I need – some parts for Crescent Rose and Ember Celica, items for routine maintenance, ammunition – you know, all the fun stuff. I figured I could give you the order to put in while I work on some upgrades with my partner!" Ruby began to glow. "So I was hoping you had a work bench free today, so we can try out parts from this new cylinder model line you have." She handed a list over to him and pointed toward the bottom. "I also wanted to get a few of these – one also for Myrtenaster." The shop keep gave a long whistle.

"This is gonna' be a bit pricey, little miss." He looked at her. "I assume you're making your usual contribution to the Dust shop, as well. I still don't understand how you two go through so much Dust."

"What can I say! I like to experiment!"

"Well, if you think you can afford it, who am I to tell you 'no'!" He laughed deeply. "Take whatever you need. There are a few free benches today. Will you girls be greeting the Sunrise Sisters today?" Ruby cringed at the name.

"Yeah… I suppose," she said listlessly.

"Well, I'll leave you to it, then!" The man went on his way, picking up items that seemed to be on Ruby's list.

"You go through a lot of Dust?" It was Weiss' voice.

"Oh, that?" Ruby laughed meekly. "I experiment with different kinds of mixes. We rarely use them, but I make them for Yang and I. I'm also experimenting with Dust Infusion. It's interesting to see the changes in weapons and armor!"

"Ruby, that's really advanced stuff… and I can't even begin to tell you how dangerous that is! Did you not read that pamphlet I gave you?"

"Relax, Weiss! I've been doing this for years and I'm still fine! What happened when we met was just an accident… and we're both fine!" Ruby gave a thumb up as she led Weiss to a work bench, where she sat down and patted the seat next her, giving the heiress the most irresistible puppy dog eyes. As her alabaster partner took her seat, Ruby could feel her strong desire to continue her lecture on Ruby's hazardous past time and decided to put her worries to rest. "Look, I… have my moments where I'm scatter-brained, but you have to admit that I'm good at things that focus my attention. For me, that's Weapons, Dust, and solo missions… I just have to work on the people portions of those, but you could say the same for yourself too, huh, Weiss?" The fencer took a moment to consider.

When it came to studying, regurgitating information, business ethics, and the ins and outs of Dust, Weiss was none the wiser. Standing atop the peaks of society, Weiss was expected to present herself as the best, never capable of disappointment, and inspirational. At the end of her time at Beacon, she was to inherit the world… but she would need the aid of others in running things smoothly – others to keep her, as Ruby put it, operating like a well-oiled machine. Maybe letting Ruby work on Myrtenaster would be a step toward fostering such relationships. Ultimately, Weiss was in control of what Ruby would do, anyway. Ruby was simply making suggestions and letting Weiss weigh the options – though this 'mystery part' Ruby had asked the shop keep for had piqued her interest.

"Here, what do you think about this?" Ruby popped the new cylinder into place and gave it a spin, before locking it into place. Weiss immediately noticed a difference in its rate of rotation. It seemed firmer. She took her blade in hand, examining the new cylinder. There wasn't much, if any difference in weight, despite the larger duster chambers. It must have been made of a lighter material, though it felt just as sturdy as its former. She tried to give it a spin, but the cylinder wouldn't budge. This would be a problem.

"Ruby, how am I supposed to switch chambers?" Eagerness swelled in Ruby's eyes as her excitement brought her passion to life.

"Oh, Weiss! This is the cool part! There are three ways!" Myrtenaster remaining in Weiss' hand, Ruby pulled her wrist close and singled out a small switch. "You can change modes here. This one lets you free spin like you already do, but the other mode is the cool one! It's sort of manual and will take some work to get used to, so I figured I'd get the model where you can still use it like the last one – you know, to transition! Anyway, it's for people who are gifted with aura and your family is super good at that! Channel your aura like normal and think about what kind of Dust you want!" It couldn't be that easy, could it? Weiss further inspected the cylinder, wondering if she would truly have use for it. She lifted her head to protest, but was overpowered by the enthusiasm exuding from Ruby. Well, at this rate, she might as well humor her partner. Breathing in, Weiss closed her eyes and willed her aura through her fingertips, illuminating them with a subtle energy that Ruby smiled fondly at. With a gentle push from her center, the energy was transferred to the hilt and, with great accuracy; the cylinder spun itself to the blue Dust chamber… Just like that… No effort at all… A dumbfounded look spread across the heiress' face. She could actually get used to this. This was nice. "Neat, huh?" Ruby asked eagerly.

"Yes, it is," the heiress mused. "It works nicely and is incredibly convenient. Even the design compliments it as a whole."

"It's accurate, sturdy, distributes Dust more efficiently, and it's aesthetically pleasing. It makes a great alteration because if reflects you," Ruby winked. "It even has a wild side it can turn on and off. Haha- hey!" Weiss shoved Ruby.

"Dolt, you deserve that!"

"You're only proving me right, you know?" Ruby grinned playfully.

"Oh, hush! I wonder what sort of trouble your sister is causing for Blake…"

 **ooOOoo**

"…ng…"

The golden fighter wandered around Vale without purpose, lost in her own thoughts, focusing her attention on the ground below her. After leaving the group, she retreated into the recesses of her mind, where she didn't have to face the hardships that would surely present themselves – one such hardship being the feline who dragged her away. By no means did she dislike Blake – quite the opposite, actually… but Blake wanted something she just couldn't give her. By no means did that mean Yang didn't find her attractive or that she wasn't teetering on the border of her own doubts, but she had to do whatever ensured the best – the safest – outcome for the both of them and this included keeping her in the dark. Sure, Blake had her own secrets to keep, regardless of Ruby and Yang being aware of them, but Yang's predicament was… a bit more complex. In keeping this secret, she knew she had outright lied to Blake, though even she wasn't sure where the line between truth and lies was drawn.

"…ang…"

Ruby was often deceptive toward Yang on many occasions, telling only half-truths or omitting key information… and Yang lied to Ruby about her memories. To a point, Yang's memories were a blur, save for the few horrific memories she managed to recall. In the beginning, Yang began to recall times where she had remembered something, only for it to vanish shortly after telling Ruby. Afraid of what Ruby was hiding, Yang stopped telling her when she remembered things and a part of her wished she hadn't. The things she had done… The things **they** had done… No one should ever have to live with these memories and, at first, Yang had wanted to run – to ask Ruby to take them away again. She was so certain that Ruby had somehow found a way to alter them, but just as she decided this, she had found Ruby in midst of a breakdown. All those memories… she was so young and had chosen to shoulder them herself for the both of them. Ruby had chosen to protect her older sister from the past and in that moment, Yang decided to shoulder the burden with her. Rather than run, she would atone for her sins and failures. She would listen, follow orders, and keep Ruby safe.

"YANG!"

"What!" Startled from her thoughts, the blonde snapped at her partner. Sharp, blood-red eyes briefly bore into the Faunus before she realized she had frightened. Registering Blake's uneasiness, guilt resonated throughout Yang and she backed down, settling for a more timid disposition. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright. I was calling you but you didn't respond." Blake relaxed, easing into a more comfortable atmosphere. "Normally, it's the other way around."

"I mean, with the books you read, I'd think you'd be into the whole role reversal thing!" The blonde teased, lightening the mood.

"Oh, shut up! They're not like that!" Blake was not one for her books to be slandered. "Be serious! I'm worried about you… Did I… make things awkward?" The faunus hesitated, shrinking inward, expecting to be reprimanded for the events of the previous night. _Maybe a little._ Yang sighed, realizing she had let things get the better of her.

"No, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Yang, I can handle the truth. You don't have to li-" Cutting Blake short, Yang's hand gently covered her mouth.

"Don't… Don't do that!" Yang threw hands up in the air in stress. "Stop blaming yourself! Okay, so **maybe** part of me isn't sure how to act around you, but I'm not gonna' blacklist you like that. That's not even close to what's bothering me. What's between you and me, I can handle." Yang gently clasped Blake's hands in her own and gave her a reassuring grin. "In fact, I'm sure of it!" Blake returned her efforts with a small smile of her own and Yang's began to shrink. "It's what I can't handle that has me worried and it has nothing to do with anyone from Beacon. It feels like a storm is coming my way and I have no way of knowing how to prepare for it. I don't know what Weiss did to Ruby, but I caught a glimpse of the old Ruby today. While I'm happy to see that, I know it won't last long. She's hiding something."

"Yang, maybe it's a phase. Give it a couple days! Maybe Ruby's just putting in more effort! She's your sister. She can see that you're stressed and maybe she's trying to help by helping herself." Yang shook her head.

"I'd like to believe that, Blake, but I don't have a few days." Blake looked at her questioningly. "I have about 30 minutes," Yang trailed off staring ahead of her. Blake followed her eyes, landing on the plaza set before a ship bay. This was where Reaper and Scylla would make their grand appearance and they'd finally see what all the hype was over.

"Are they that bad?"

"I don't know…" The uncertainty in Yang's voice caught Blake off guard. For someone who seemed to hate them so much earlier, why was she so unsure about her feelings toward them? If anything, it sounded like they were intense rivals.

"What do you mean you don't know? You've been ranting about them every time they're mentioned!"

"It's for show," Yang stated.

"Huh?"

"… It's hard to explain, but it's always been this way. I can't explain it and I don't want to," Yang huffed and crossed her arms.

"Yang, if we're going to be partners, I need to have some sort of basic understanding." Yang began to open her mouth. "And if I hear 'Ask Ruby' from you one more time…" Blake gave her such a cold look, that Yang believed even her flames would freeze. "Since you seem to enjoy my books so much, I'm going to re-enact the dirtiest, most humiliating scene with you that I can find!" For a moment, Yang remained in a panicked state and gulped. After a moment, that fire returned to her eyes and took the form of a sly grin.

"Don't threaten me with a good time, kitty!" She pulled her scarf over her eyes. "I'll even start you off by blind-folding myself!" Blake slammed her palm into her forehead. Why did she even try? This girl was impossible. She looked up and found that Yang had trotted on ahead of her.

"Hey, wait!" Blake caught up to her. "Don't leave me behind!"

"Oh, what?" The golden girl winked at her. "You didn't enjoy the view?" Shit… she walked right into that one. Taking in her surroundings, Yang found the awkwardly blushing duo of Jaune and Pyrrha fidgeting in front of them.

"Sorry, if we interrupted something," Jaune apologized, looking down bashfully.

"Oh! No! No, you didn't!" Blake stammered before Yang leaned her weight on her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

"Don't liiiiie, Blaaaakeeeey!" She whined. "Blakey, here, was just telling me about how we're going to re-enact her favorite scenes in her books!" Pyrrha's face visually overloaded as scenes played through her mind. Seeing her chance, Yang grasped Blake's hands once more. "Oh, I can't wait! We're gonna' have the **bestest** time!" She squealed.

"Oh my god! Really?!" Another voice squealed from behind her. _Oh no._ Yang had just unleashed an unstoppable freight train upon Blake. "You mean, _Ninjas of Love_? No way! That's so awesome! Congrats on womaning up, Blake!" A hard pat on the back knocked the wind out of the now embarrassed girl.

"Nora," Ren called from behind a large Ursa stuffed animal. "She's kidding."

"Awww, so you're not really?" Blake shook her head 'No'. "Well, that's disappointing. Blake would **totally** dom Yang!" Blood rocketed from Pyrrha's nose as she fell into Jaune.

"Guys, I think Pyrrha passed out!" He panicked.

"No way in hell!" Yang jumped to her feet. "I'd totally wear the pants in this relationship!"

"Yang, wearing pants in a relationship has nothing to do with domming and subbing."

"Well, I mean, yeah! There's usually a severe lack of pants," Nora chipped in, laughing when Yang started drooling. "I mean, I didn't think you'd get that excited for Blake already!"

"Uuuwaaaah, all this talk about doms and subs is making me hungry. Anyone down for some sandwiches? Ow!" The culprit of the sudden assault on Yang's head was a rolled up newspaper Blake acquired at some point. She continued to release a barrage of light hits on the brawler.

"Bad! Bad, Yang! Bad! No treats for you!"

"Pretty sure I could relate this to something like a riding crop, but can you imagine how much hotter this would be with leather and Gambol Shroud?" Ren gave Nora a disapproving look.

"Aaaaaaand, it's ruined!" Blake dropped the newspaper.

"Looks like you guys have been having a lot of fun without us." The ice princess made her presence known, along with an excited looking Ruby.

"Aw! See, I told you we'd miss something fun! They're picking on Yang and we're not invited!"

"Well, you're the one who took too long, dolt!" Uncharacteristically warm eyes and an affectionate smile followed the crimsonette.

"Yeah, it **is** my fault!" Ruby laughed. "But we're gonna' be so much more awesomer on the field because of it and I'm so excited for everything else I get to do this week! Oh my God, Weissy aren't you excited too! We'll be the most amazingest!" Ruby grabbed Weiss' hands and bounced around. "I'm so excited!... Yang! Be excited with me!" Ruby tackled Yang, who ruffled her hair. What the hell did Weiss do with the real Ruby?

A low rumble vibrated through the ground, breaking up the excitement and drawing everyone's attention. People gathered around, crowding the plaza as a sleek bullhead variant closed in on the bay. It began to slow in preparation for landing and roared into place, blasting the local flora with powerful gusts of wind.

Ruby and Yang playful banter quickly subsided, replacing their joy with apprehension. Any anxieties they held toward this moment were now as clear as day and, while curious about the two huntresses, Weiss and Blake's concerns lay with their partners. The hatch lifted and a bright fog rolled out from the entrance. Cheers of joy ensued as two darkly cloaked figures emerged from the fog. Standing proudly and baring menacing auras, they scanned across the crowd, honing in on one girl: Ruby Rose.

" _ **It looks like she came**_ **.** "

* * *

 **A/N: Looks like Reaper and Scylla are finally here! Wonder what could be in store! The font style for that last line is going to become a reoccurring thing associated with a very particular character type. Speaking of character types, the drastic changes with Ruby's personality will be addressed later. More info about Ruby's arm will be revealed in the next chapter. I'm still nitpicking how she'll be using it. Like, I don't want to reveal it's entire functionality just yet. I know what I want to do, I'm just decided on how to properly execute it. Anyway, next chapter will feature action! Yaaaaaay! Um, review? Lemme know what you think? I guess? Thanks! Buh-bye! I'm gonna' go be sick in bed now... T_T**


	8. Sunrise: Part III

**A/N: Back with another chapter! I have to admit I probably rewrote this chapter about 5 times. I just didn't like the way it turned out the first few times. Anyway, so I know I said we'd have some development with Ruby's arm. Welllllll, Ruby actually became sort of scarce in this chapter BECAUSE this chapter was RETARDEDLY LONG and I'm splitting it into two. I'll get on finishing up the next chapter and hopefully you guys enjoy it!**

 **P.S - Please don't kill me over the end .**

 **UPDATE 8/2/2016: This chapter has some big changes in it, but the outcome is still the same. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the updates. Things will begin to start being explained and hopefully some of the updated sections have clarified some things! There are a lot of things going on in this story that all tie together! Thanks for checking out "Fear: Reap"!**

* * *

"Ohmygod, Ohmygod, Ohmygod!" Nora bounced around uncontrollably. "I can't believe it! Maybe now I'll actually get to talk to them for once!"

"Calm down, Nora. It isn't that serious," Ren sighed.

"YES IT IS!" Nora shrieked. "They're so AWESOME! They have the most awesome semblances and they get asked to do awesome things! I can only imagine why they're in Vale and it HAS to be awesome! Oh! What if they're helping judge the Vytal Festival… UUUWAAAAH!" Nora squealed with delight, earning strange looks from her friends.

 **BRRRRIIIING!** Ruby scrambled for her scroll and answered it in a hushed tone, taking a few steps away from the group. Concerned, Weiss leaned a little bit toward the retreating girl to try to catch any of the conversation.

"Uh, yeah? Hey, Dad…" Ah, her father again. He seemed a bit overprotective, but that wasn't a foreign concept to the heiress.

"Are they really that awesome?" Jaune asked Pyrrha.

"I don't really know. I've never had to face either of them, though I've heard great things about them," Pyrrha paused. "But I imagined they would look less… menacing?" She motioned toward the dark figures standing before the large mass of people. The two figures had begun moving toward the plaza's fountain, where the people excitedly awaited them. The closer they drew, the more excited Nora grew before grabbing Ren and pushing her way to the front. Not wanting to endure this torture alone, Ren grabbed Jaune, who grabbed Pyrrha, and resulted in a chain that included the members of Team RWBY.

"Nora! Calm down!" Weiss cried out. "You're going to kill some of us, at this rate!"

"Haha, yeah, Nora! The Snow Angel isn't used to being man-handled!" Yang winked as she teased Weiss. "Wouldn't wanna' break a nail!" The blonde grinned and Weiss opened her mouth to retaliate, but they were both soon silenced.

"Yang!" The blonde's attention snapped to her sister in time to see her hurriedly putting her phone away. The fearless leader seemed to be on edge after that phone call and focused her gaze on the two new-arrivals. "Does Reaper seem strange to you?" Yang followed her sister's gaze, focusing on Reaper. A dark aura emitted from the smaller of the two hooded figures. As if sensing their gaze, Reaper turned toward them, moving to approach them. The taller of the two reached out, grabbing Reaper's arm. A displeased Reaper looked back and it could be assumed that Scylla had been chastised for the interruption. Reaper aggressively tore away from Scylla, continuing toward the intended destination. Ruby placed her hand on Yang's shoulder and whispered to her. "No matter what: Do not engage." The crowd cleared a path as Reaper passed, stopping at the RWBY and JNPR group.

"This. Is. AWESOME!" Nora danced around excitedly, hovering around Reaper with a pen and pad. "Can I get your autograph?" A single half-hearted laugh that escaped under Reaper's breath was the only acknowledgement Nora received and her smile faded. Riddled with ill-intent, the hooded-figure reached out toward Ruby, but was intercepted as Yang enclosed the Reaper's wrist in a vice-grip.

"Yeah, that's not gonna' fly!" Yang's eyes went red. "I don't know who you are, but first, you insult my friend, then you wanna' touch my sister. That's grounds for a No-Go flier right there." An extra squeeze emphasized Yang's intentions. Reaper's head slowly lifted, revealing the glow of what appeared to be two Grimm-like eyes – the left one red and the right one white - and the sharpest bright teeth twisted into a wicked grin that sent shivers down the blonde's spine. An overwhelming feeling of dread flowed through her and the air began to warp around her. A blunt pain slammed into Yang's side followed by an explosive sound that added more force, sending her crashing to the ground, as rubble rained down on her face. The brawler's eyes flared red as she scrambled to sit up, finding Ruby sprawled across her. It was apparent her sister had tackled her to safety. Coughing as the dust settled, Ruby noticed the rising temperature coming from Yang. Panicking, she attempted to calm the blonde that was moments away from raging.

"Yang, I've got this! You can't afford to get into a fight right now. Not before I've done your Arti." Eyes dimming, the blonde focused herself on Ruby. Only Ruby's voice mattered when she was angry. As long as she focused on that, she could do away with even the most negative energies. Ruby would de-escalate this and all Yang needed to do was trust her. After all, they couldn't afford another incident.

" _ **Fast as ever, Little Red, but you won't always be fast enough**_ ," an animalistic voice vibrated through her mind. As the dust settled, Ruby found that Reaper had disappeared. Several coughs were heard around, revealing first Weiss, then Blake, then the rest of the group. Ruby sighed in relief with the knowledge that they were safe. Heart racing, Ruby ran to the rest of the group to check on them. Stopping at the alabaster girl that virtually glowed through the dirt, Ruby knelt down to check on Weiss. It seemed that aside from Weiss' dirtied clothes, she would be fine. Weiss looked up and smiled at Ruby, suddenly exchanging expressions for a look of horror directed behind her. An inhuman growl rumbled in Ruby's ear and Weiss could only remain frozen. " _ **Whatever will you do?**_ " As Ruby turned to face Reaper, the last thing she remembered was something resembling a large black claw slamming into her, sending her far away from the heiress.

 **ooOOoo**

"We should re-evaluate the Xiao Long-Rose sisters!" Glynda slammed both her hands on Ozpin's desk. Beacon's notoriously no-nonsense teacher wasn't having it today. "Yesterday, they demonstrated abilities far beyond what is normal for this school – skills that surpass their entry exam scores and even some of the staff. If what I saw yesterday holds true, these two are holding back just to blend in with others their own age. Ruby herself appears to have excelled just enough to enter Beacon and remain at the same level as her sister." Glynda took a deep breath and straighten herself out. "It is of my professional opinion that both sisters should take the licensing exam. I do not believe them to be in need of the training that Beacon facilitates."

"I couldn't disagree with you more, Miss Goodwitch." Ozpin wore an all-knowing smile.

"They've done well to hold back so far, but still! You saw the arena's playback!" Glynda argued. "Cardin and Russell are fine examples of what they can do. In comparison, the matches between Teams RWBY and JNPR make it seem that they will hold back for those they deem friendly, but not so much for aggressors. I have a safety concern when it comes to putting them in the cage with students they do not get along with! Miss Nikos is also in her own league but it's fine to do this with her, since regardless of relations with other students, she puts their safety first."

"One would say it demonstrates extreme restraint to exercise just enough strength to inflict only a single percentage of damage to another's aura, would they not?"

"Well… yes, but-"

"Have you heard of the Rose War, Glynda?" The headmaster quickly changed the subject.

"The what?"

"The Rose War – it was said to take place when an heiress could not ascend to the Head of House. They fight amongst each other until someone does."

"Sir, do you not mean an heir, in general?" Ozpin let out a light laugh.

"No, no, Glynda, I mean heiress. Since the beginning of time, the Rose Family has only ever conceived female children. Legend had it that a disaster would occur should a male child ever be born, though I seriously doubt there's any fruit to that part of the lore. The Rose Family's genetics are simply dominant and overwrite anything the father contributes. It's all in how they are raised. I truly believe they are an enigma in relation to the Voice of Remnant."

"Ozpin, that's but an old wive's tale."

"Is it now? Do you remember Summer Rose, Glynda?" Glynda shuddered as she remembered the woman and her team.

"Yes… From Team STRQ – Qrow's team. I had heard she had passed away several years ago. What does she have to do with the Voice of Remnant?" The huntress crossed her arms and Ozpin chuckled.

"I once asked Summer what she thought of humanity during one of our many talks. She always seemed as if she had another purpose in this world and it made her see it for what it truly was. It was almost as if she were one with Remnant." Glynda's eyes widened.

"Do you mean to say you believe she contained it?! If that's so, then we have no clue where it could be!"

"Haha, heaven's no! Do you think someone like Summer Rose could have carried something so revered?" Clearly, the man was amused with Glynda's line of thinking. It was his own fault for being intentionally misleading. "She was always an honest girl when asked the proper question. You simply had to know how to word it. Summer said that she believed humanity had failed Remnant; that it was only a matter of time until Remnant took back its land and freed its people. She told me of a hidden history, one buried texts that no Remni would ever find. One that was better if it remained that only the Rose Family carried its weight, but it also seemed to be much of what fostered a deeply rooted hatred for the Schnee amongst members of the Rose Branch Houses. While she never truly told me any of this hidden history, she did tell me that because of it, the Rose Family endured a curse unlike any other – something akin to a semblance, but far more dreadful. To this day, I don't believe I ever witnessed Summer use a semblance, but either way, she said it left her with a voice that hovered just behind her, watching everything she did."

"Then would that not be the Voice of Remnant?"

"I asked her that, but she said no. The curse tasked the Rose Family with **finding** the one who contained the Voice of Remnant. It would then be up to that sole individual whether or not to use Remnant's Will to free them from the curse, as well as save humanity from being cleansed."

"Cleansed?!" This was an absurd legend and the headmaster had gotten carried away again. "Surely, you don't believe the tales of some mad former student!"

"Mad? I don't think so. If anything, I'd say she was refreshing, even if a little dark. Her relationship with STRQ proved that she could change. I even heard she settled in Patch, rather than returning home. I heard that she became a very positive influence and was even deemed a local hero."

"You said that the Rose Family despised the Schnee Family, correct?"

"Oh, yes! Dreadfully!" The headmaster chirped.

"Then that is even more reason to get those girls out of here! Miss Rose is partnered with Miss Schnee!" Ozpin hummed in response to her and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands together.

"Ah, yes! That does seem to be the case, now doesn't it?" There was still that amusement in his voice alongside a mischievously glint in his eye. "Actually, it's even more reason to keep them here."

"Could you be any less vague?"

"It seems that, at the time, Summer was the head of the Rose House and all of its branches," he stated calmly. "Her passing was most devastating, as it left the Branch Families unattended, and with each of the Rose Houses utterly despising the Schnee, left them to do as they pleased. Fortunately, they cannot truly act as a cohesive unit, as they do not all share the same ideas, nor do they have a anyone to contain them. Because of this, it seems that they fight each other until someone fills the position."

"And this helps Miss Schnee how?"

"Miss Rose and Miss Xiao Long appear to have been raised outside the reach of the Rose Houses. While Miss Rose has certainly made it difficult to obtain any information on either of them, Qrow and Taiyang's interest in them leads me to believe that they have a connection to Summer. With that in mind, the Xiao Long-Rose sisters are the spitting images of Summer and her partner during their school days, wouldn't you say?"

"Just as, if not more, troublesome; that I can agree with."

CLAP CLAP CLAP. A slow clapping noise drew out from a corner in the room, calling both adults' attention. A lone figure stood in place, blending with the shadows. Heavy boots dragged across the floor as it stepped into the light, revealing itself to be cloaked in a dark hooded trenchcoat.

"I couldn't agree more, Headmaster."

 **ooOOoo**

"Ruby!" Weiss snapped out of her trance and scrambled to her feet, fumbling around her waist for Myrtenaster. As she drew her rapier, Weiss sensed an intense hatred flowing through the air. The air became thick with heat and a blast of hot air blew through her, taking her with it. Letting the wind carry her, Weiss flipped herself mid-air into a more controlled position and rooted herself to the ground with a glyph. Something dark cut through the blinding dirt particles and coiling itself around Myrtenaster. As it tethered itself to the thin blade, a smaller blade hooked around and snagged itself on the blade. Recognizing it as Gambol Shroud, Weiss sighed in relief and tugged back to complete the connection and waited. After a moment, Blake finally came into view and Weiss reached out, yanking her from the air and onto the glyph with her.

"Thanks! I was hoping you had enough room!" Blake wrapped herself around Weiss, both girls squeezing onto the glyph with Blake shielding Weiss from the incoming pebbles. A distant scream carried through the wind, and as luck would have it, Jaune was identified as the owner as he flew passed them. "He is having a **really** bad day… Where's Ruby?"

"I – I don't know! Reaper, or whatever that thing is, appeared behind her and let out this inhuman growl, produced some sort of large, black weapon out of nowhere, and then hit her with it… and then this happened!" The baffled heiress yelled over the wind. "What in Remnant is going on?!"

"It's Yang!" Weiss look at Blake in disbelief and Blake sighed before beginning her explanation. "Yang mentioned to me that there are problems with her semblance, so she never uses it at full blast. I wonder if this is what she meant," she yelled over the roaring wind. As Blake finished speaking, the hot winds died out and the air cleared, revealing nothing but the flames that littered the ground. Panicked screams saturated the air as civilians fled the docking station. Heavy footsteps came toward them, being identified as Team JNPR.

"Is this why Ruby and Yang were nervous?" Pyrrha said.

"No, Yang mentioned that the rivalry between them was for show. She has no ill-will toward them, maybe some jealousy, which made it seem strange that she was nervous." Blake unraveled Gambol Shroud from Myrtenaster. "I managed to fight through the wind and get to Gambol Shroud. We should get you guys to the rest of the lockers." Blake motioned toward the bright lights that cut through the smoke. With Blake and Weiss leading, they gunned toward the light beacons atop each locker at full speed.

The smoke thinned as they closed in on their lockers and, to their relief, they were all in the same place. Blake and Weiss closed to a stop, surveying the area to make sure no one was there. Closing her eyes, Pyrrha took a moment to gather herself and breathed in deeply, before approaching her locker. To her horror, a bright light gleamed from the top of it and it launched back toward the school.

"What!" Pyrrha exclaimed, watching as the remaining lockers followed suit, leaving only Blake's empty locker behind. Blake and Weiss looked back to see what the commotion was, only to find Team JNPR scrambling through their persons to locate their scrolls.

"Uh, what are you all doing? We don't have time for this!" The heiress urged.

"I know, Weiss! I don't know what's going on!" Jaune yelled back.

"We can't find our scrolls!" Nora panicked. "Oh, this is bad. This is bad!"

"You mean these?" A voice cut into the conversation, drawing their attention to Blake's locker. "How unfortunate you seemed to have misplaced them for just anyone to pick up!" The taller member of the Sunrise Sisters – Scylla, was it? - sat in a semi-reclined position atop Blake's locker, waving around a random scroll and the others looked to their waistbands. When was Scylla even that close? During the smoke? Scylla sat herself up, opening her trenchcoat, revealing several inline pockets, each containing one of the missing scrolls. She added the final scroll to it and then stood up, causing everyone to take a cautious stance. Scylla held a hand up in mock defense. "Hold on. I'll give these back when this is over. I won't do anything, as long as you don't. My job is just to keep the rest of you separate from those two… Hmmm, I seem to be missing one." Scylla leaned forward shielding her eyes to get a better look. "Oh! Where's the older sister? Oh my…"

A large wall of ice rushed toward her, bursting outward into crystal-like spikes. Scylla rolled out of the way, dusting herself off when she came to an upright position. As she patted herself down, she casually turned to face the heiress that had sent her such a cold gift. "Short and to the point, as always, Miss Schnee. It's good to see that some things don't change." Crimson eyes burned through the darkness of her hood, as Scylla undid the button of her trenchcoat. It seemed she had elected for equally dark form-fitting clothing, with a matching belt. From the belt, she uncapped what looked to be a vial of dust. With a swift move, she spun around, grabbing the end of her coat and sending a paralyzing gust of wind toward them.

Using a glyph and Myrtenaster to ground herself once more, Weiss looked around frantically for something she could use to block the wind. She spotted Pyrrha linking herself to a metal light post. The rest of the team had followed suit, attaching themselves to one another. Well, at least Pyrrha and Weiss had beneficial semblances for times like this. It was then that she realized Blake was nowhere to be found. She half expected to see Gambol Shroud carrying Blake toward her again, but it never happened, and so, she worried for her teammate's unaccounted presence. No matter what, this "Scylla" person seemed to have a history with the heiress and it had already put them in a very bad position. Could this have been a very elaborate plan to get to Weiss? Weiss gritted her teeth. Things were just beginning to go so well, but as always, her name was there to make sure any happiness she had was short-lived. _Gah! Where the hell are Ruby and Yang!_ Something almost bird-like flew toward Weiss, hulking over her the moment it reached her.

"Poor decisions seem to be a theme for you, heiress." Scylla snatched Myrtenaster away from Weiss, grabbing her shoulder with her free hand.

"What!" A gleam caught the corner of Weiss' eye and she saw Blake hovering over Scylla, striking at her. Almost effortlessly, Scylla caught Gambol Shroud by the blade, surprising Blake. Scylla let the blade run between her fingers, ripping it from Blake once the guard caught her hand. She rammed the hilt into Blake's stomach, knocking her a small ways away. Blake clutched her stomach, rolling into a position where she could still see. She coughed and groaned in pain, seeing Weiss running toward her.

"Seriously! If you would all just listen! If I wanted to kill you, I'd – " Scylla stopped herself mid-sentence. The ground beneath her seemed very warm all of a sudden. She looked down to find glowing earth beneath her feet. "Oh, shi- " Flames burst from the ground, drowning Scylla's words out.

"Wei-ss… look…" Blake managed to get out and pointed toward the sky. A flaming silhouette formed from the flames mid-air.

"RAAAAAH! STAY AWAY -" It fell hard, clasping both fists together and slamming hard into Scylla's head. "FROM BLAKE!" Scylla attempted to regain her ground, throwing a punch into the entity, but it simply dispersed, phasing through her and reforming behind her. A hard kick to her back sent Scylla flying forward a few feet. Scylla dragged Gambol Shroud through the ground using it as a breaking system. Coming to a stop in front of Blake and Weiss, Scylla kneeled, regrouping herself. Unfortunately, the figure didn't give her much time. A wall of flame chased behind Scylla, causing her to abandon Gambol Shroud. The wall of fire stopped right before Blake's blade, forming into the figure and sparing the monochrome members of Team RWBY the fury of the flames. Observing the figure more closely, Blake sat up and her eyes grew wide. The flames began to die down and the figure knelt before Blake, cupping her face in a pleasantly warm hand. "You alright, Blakey?"

"Yeah… but… how?" The more that Blake learned about Yang, the more questions she had and the less inclined she was to ask them. It was beginning to be too much to try to understand. How could this be Yang's semblance? Yang always took punishment and turned it into power! Yang didn't turn herself into flames!

"Um, another time, kitty?" Yang smiled sadly.

"Oh… yeah… Sorry, I'm kinda' out of it…" Blake was still trying to get herself back together after that last hit.

"I'll have my own questions later, too, Yang!" Weiss cut in.

"Oh can it, Queenie," Yang brushed her off. "You always know how to ruin a moment!" Yang felt Scylla's presence returning and turned toward her. "I was starting to wonder if I'd scared you off! I was almost proud!"

"Hardly! Though I must say, you're control has improved significantly since the last time I saw you."

"Wait, what? I don't even know who you are! You're damn sure not Scylla, though!" The hotheaded huntress-in-training, slammed her fists together and the flames began to rekindle.

"Haha! Oh, you got me!" The woman admitted, clutching a hand to her heart. She pointed a finger at Yang, who went on the defensive. "You," she flattened her hand out and lowered it to her waist. "Were about this tall the last time I saw you!... And I distinctly remember you being extremely out of control!"

"…ut…up…" Blake's faunus ears caught a faint murmur under Yang's breath. She could feel the heat rising around her with Yang's temper. Blake gently touched Yang's hand and Yang looked at her.

"It's not worth it, Yang."

"Yang, I'm not sure how she knows me, but she hinted at it earlier. I can't let my name be what hurts you all," Weiss said.

"Weiss, as admirable as that is, she doesn't give a shit about you. You're not why she's here. She's just psyching you out." Yang spit to her side. "That's what these people do."

"You know what I find **most** impressive here, Schnee?" Scylla threw her hands in the air. "I'm here trying to tell I'm not trying to fight you and you won't listen, but you sleep in a room with a White Fang! I'm amazed you haven't had your throat slit yet!" Blake's eyes widened. " **Those** are the things trying to kill you!"

"What?" Weiss asked in disbelief. "Yang's not a faunu-" A hand brushed against Weiss collar and she stopped; realization suddenly hitting her. Heart beating quickly, she slowly turned to face Blake's apologetic eyes. Weiss swallowed hard and her question remained stuck in her throat.

"Weiss… I'm sorry…" The world hadn't been so kind to Blake. Her history with the White Fang had rendered her an enemy to many people and now it was catching up to destroy what she had worked so hard to build. Blake had hoped she could bury it, but never had she expected to be on the same team as a member of the very family the White Fang had acted out against.

"You lied to me?"

"No! I didn't! I just thought…"

"Can it, Weiss! If you should be afraid of anyone, it should be me!" Yang warned. "Blake's faunus, not White Fang! If Blake's good enough for Ruby, she's more than good enough for you."

"Well, that was a botched attempt," Scylla shrugged to herself in the most care-free of manners.

"Okay, seriously, who are you and why are you here?" Yang's irritation grew more and more with each passing second. Scylla leaned back, slowly twisting her wrist so that she pointed at herself.

"Me? Oh, that doesn't matter!" Yang's flames flared. "Buuuut, since you took the time to ask, I guess you can call me Calypso! As for why I'm here… You could say that I'm weeding the gardens a bit."

"Ok, the whole speaking in riddles thing… Could we not?"

"Even as a metaphor, I thought that was rather 'to the point'. Either way, I've never seen a Rose die." Calypso reach into a pouch on her belt loop and pulled something tiny out and popped it into her mouth. "I hear they wither quite beautifully, though I suppose you're the closest anyone's even been to killing one recently. Isn't that right, **big sister**?" Hot flames burst from Yang's body and she rampaged toward Calypso, leaving a trail of flames in her wake. Calypso jumped over Yang, landing her feet on the blazing huntress' shoulders and launching herself into the air.

"Haha, without Ember Celica, you'll never land a hit on me at this distance!"

"Uraaah! We'll see about that!" Yang spun around, gathering flames into her hand and throwing them at an arc. Calypso whistled to herself. That would suck if it hit her, so once most, she used her trench coat to send another gust flying toward Yang. Seeing her fireball begin to slow, Yang decided to up the stakes. She clenched her fist into a ball, then quickly released it. At first, the fire smoldered in on itself, then in a radiant explosion, it remanifested itself as a flaming dragon that honed in on Calypso.

"Well, shit… I forgot about that…" The dragon clamped down on her, dragging her to the ground with it. Calypso took the full force of the flames and lay on the ground thoroughly annoyed. The little scamp actually managed to hurt her. She'd live, but the burns stung like hell… _Actually, this will be perfect to provoke Yang._ A scuffle came from her side and Calypso tilted her head; first, noticing Gambol Shroud only a short ways away, and second, Blake inching her injured body toward it. Well, no time like now. Calypso hoisted herself up. "Not bad! If I didn't know how to control my aura, I'd probably be missing more than just an arm!" A blast of heat came from just ahead; a sure signal that Yang would soon follow. She hustled over to the blade that was seated in the ground and reach for it, only for Blake to snag it first. "Hand it over, faunus!"

"I won't let you hurt Yang!" Feeling Yang on her back, Calypso reached for Gambol Shroud hilted but Blake pulled away.

"Stop being a pain in the ass!"

"You're not taking this!" Blake remained adamant. Calypso looked back to find Yang flying toward her and it felt as if time stood still. The cloaked woman looked back at Blake and grabbed at her arm, but Blake firmly locked her arm in place, refusing to let go. The flames hot on her back, Calypso locked eyes with Blake and grinned. Time froze and just like that, Calypso vanished and Gambol Shroud plunged straight into Yang's stomach.

"Bl…Blake… **hack**..." Time started again and Blake looked on in horror as Yang's blood seeped onto her hands. Oh Dust, what had she done. Yang collapsed forward and coughed blood, landing in Blake's arms.

"Oh my god, Yang… Yang, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to!" Tears streamed down the faunus' face and blurred her vision. "I… I didn't… mean… to…"

* * *

 **A/N: Soooooooooo, yeah... That happened... Please don't kill me for mistreating Yang... . Let me know what you guys think of Calypso. She's kind of an asshole with a somewhat carefree attitude that throws off her opponents. A bit of her inspiration is from Tobi in Naruto Shippuden, though they're not quite on the same level haha. I think I actually enjoyed writing her though. She'll be a big driving force in this story, as will the figure in Ozpin's office. Anyway, I like reviews. Let me know if anything is confusing and I'll try to clear it up!**

 **Review Response:**

 **v rd Jr : In regard to your review, Ren and Nora previously mentioned that Ruby and Yang sometimes receive requests to aid in Mercenary jobs for the Patch Hunter's Hall. Since they know this, I hoped it would be reflect more that they are listening and have that understanding from the NoRen explanation. That doesn't mean that they won't have questions about it later. Mention of the benefactor/client will play a part in Weiss researching into them. If this is still confusing, I will be more than happy to rework the chapter a bit.**

 **Rapter267 : I'm glad to hear this story has peaked your interest! I will say that while no one has completely guessed what's going on, all guesses have had at least a small part to do with it! There is a lot of back story that will afford a lot of possibilities. A long ride is ahead of us!**

 **UPDATE 8/2/2016: Dun dun dun! I know there's a lot of Scylla/Calypso hate going on right now. Anyway, hopefully I can have the next chapter up soon! I know I wanted it up this week, but holy crap this week has been busy and I wound up rewriting bigger portions than I had planned. That and in addition to band stuff, I had to pick up some hours at work since my coworker was on vacation. O_o Turns out, she came back yesterday and went straight to the hospital to get a cyst removed because it caused sepsis… Not fun. Anyway, so now I'm behind on this and Lightforge. TT_TT I planned to do Lightforge's update last week. LIFE! Y U DO DIS!**


	9. Sunrise: Part IV

**Firstly, it's been a little bit. I'm going to start by apologizing to those readers who are having a difficult time understanding what's going on. I recently recieved a review that stated it seems like everyone knows what's going on and the reader doesn't. Im writing in a fashion where it implements the reader as a character of sorts. You are not meant to know what is going on. Also, it should be stated that Nora and Ren are the only ones that have any remote idea about Ruby and Yang's past - there is a reason for this. "Reaper and Scylla" are personas recognized by Remnant from a fighting tournament. This is the only things I can think of that has confused the reviewer that believes everyone else knows what's going on. I do hope you will give this a chance later down the road. This chapter will probably cause a little more frustration in that aspect, but this will also end the Sunrise portion. At the bottom AN, I will release the next arc's name! With that said, ON TO EVEN MORE CONFUSION!**

* * *

"I see… So you run the Hunter's Hall in Patch?" Beacon's headmaster sat at his desk with a steaming cup of coffee. He basked in the aroma, letting the steam form a thin layer of moisture on his lips, before deciding to take a sip and returning his attention to darkly cloaked figure before him. He gave a warm smile to mysterious visitor they had welcomed. "You'll… forgive me if I don't quite see that as a possibility."

"I'm only here to make you aware of my presence. Nothing more." The figure stood more proudly than menacing. "My partner is at the docks with what we'll call… a **very** temporary stand-in, of sorts." The figures eyes narrowed at the mention of the stand-in. "It seems that things running behind schedule have become a bit more commonplace since Reaper and Scylla left." Ozpin cocked his head at the mention of the two names.

"Are they not arriving here today?"

"In all actuality, I'm here in regard to them. It seemed appropriate that Beacon's Headmaster ought to be aware of some items regarding the existence of the two. Reaper and Scylla have become more of a… living legend. Our agreement states that our enterprise is free to use the name and likeness to create the illusion of Reaper and Scylla being everywhere at all times. The catch being that our presence stays out of Vale."

"Why Vale?" The headmaster's interest was now peaked. "And if you are here, then does that not nullify your contract?"

"Ah, I thought that might interest you!" The dark figure pulled up a seat and made themself comfortable. "You see – " Ozpin raised his hand and cut the figure off.

"With all due respect, my friend, before you continue, I like to be able to put a name or, at the very least, a likeness to those that I'm sure I will see again." There was a brief silence as the figure contemplated how to respond.

"Very well." The figure slowly reached up, revealing metal plated fingers, and dragged the hood back. While a high collar hid the lower half of his face, Ozpin was able to make out youthful deep red eyes and slicked back black hair with a red tinge stared back at him. Judging by his physical make-up, height, and the pitch of his voice, Ozpin ventured to guess that he hadn't quite hit puberty yet. Other than his eyes, this boy reminded him a lot of… "I see you have a lot of questions. I assure you, my appearance is quite deceiving… You may call me Phantom." The child rested his elbows on the chair arms and folded his hands in front of him. "Shall I continue?"

"Uh… ee-yes! Please do!" Ozpin shook his surprise away. From what he had heard, Reaper was a girl and Phantom being a child of similar physique could easily pass off for simply establishing a hooded presence.

"Vale was to remain untouched simply because they have been in Vale for quite some time now. Our presence was simply not needed." Phantom sighed. "In fact, I'm sure that our appearance comes as quite a shock to them, but since Reaper in particular has chosen to ignore any attempts at contact, we decided this was just as efficient." The door cracked and Phantom paused as Glynda re-entered the room, before continuing. "Either way, we are here to remove some unwanted heat from them, as it has come to our attention that some rather unsavory persons have been looking for them. If we are seen in the media both arriving and departing, it will relieve some of that pressure. The two of them are notorious for attracting trouble." Miss Goodwitch leaned into Ozpin's ear and whispered something to him.

"Thank you, Glynda." Ozpin reached for a control console on his desk and pressed a button. Off to their side, a screen lit up and the news came on. "Speaking of troublesome, it seems that two of my most troublesome teams have just called for their Weapons Lockers and are currently destroying Vale City, with the aid of your living legends, of course…"

"Oh, no… I specifically asked Calypso to keep her away from Ruby!" Phantom mumbled several curse words to himself. "I shouldn't have to babysit!"

"Hmmm, well, you may wish to de-escalate your little problem. Not that I don't think they can handle themselves, but it seems that Miss Xiao Long's locker is malfunctioning, so she will be unable to defend herself." Ozpin looked at Glynda. "I'm sure that you will be needed." Glynda gave an aggravated sigh and stormed off.

"No, Ozpin! You don't understand! Ruby wasn't supposed to **be** there! The person taking my place is from one of the other Rose Houses! I have to get to them before someone manifests!"

 **ooOOoo**

"I… I didn't… mean… to…"

"Shhh, oooooow, shhh," Yang caressed Blake's cheek. "I know that, kitty cat… ssssss. That hurts…" Yang tried to pull the blade from her side. At least it wasn't the dead center of her stomach. "Aaaaah!"

"Stop that!" Calypso chastised. "You'll bleed out or make it worse or something. I'm sure help or something will be here for you soon."

"Are… are you serious?! You just stabbed her!" Weiss shrieked. "You don't get to scold her!"

"For the record, your friend did that! I just helped a little."

"W- why…" Yang struggled to get out. "Why are you two d-doing thi-is… u-hah!" Yang hacked in pain.

"Silence," Calypso chided. "This is nothing to a Rose. It's impossible for Reaper to harm her."

"Uh, are you crazy?!" Red eyes glared at the Schnee heiress and she shrank back. "Wh-what I mean is, I don't know if you realize this, but Reaper attacked Ruby; which I might add, was unprovoked."

"Not Reaper." Calypso crossed her arms. A loud yell came from the within the settling dust, alongside what sounded like Crescent Rose being fired and several loud clinks, followed by several heavy thuds. Dismissing Weiss, Calypso turned toward the sounds. "Good to see the rudeness of the Schnee's is as prevalent as ever, but you seem to make as many ill-informed assumptions as your father." Weiss opened her mouth to retaliate but was quickly silenced with another glare. "Silence, Schnee!... Watch." The thuds grew closer, alongside the sounds of gasps and grunts. Auras clashed; violent torrents clearing away the dust and revealing Ruby blocking a giant, riveted, machinized blade with Crescent Rose. Gritting her teeth, Ruby attempted to keep the force of the blade from pushing her back any further, until it suddenly stopped. "Reaper" dropped from her sight and she was suddenly swept from her feet. As she plunged to the ground, she drew Crescent Rose in just quickly enough to take the brunt of a hard kick that sent her tumbling backwards.

"Fight back, pip squeak!" Standing tall, the false Reaper bellowed in a harsh feminine voice. Those blood-red eyes cast a glare upon her fallen opponent before nudging her with her foot. Ruby simply whimpered in response and curled up, angering her attacker even more. She stepped on Crescent Rose, hooking it with her foot and kicking it far away from its owner. "You are pathetic!" Flailing her cape, the imposter glared in Calypso's direction. "This is what you expect me to follow? Who you expect us to wait for? This wilted Rose?! Summer was born to lead; this one can't even harness her own power, let alone carry on the Rose Legacy." Calypso cocked her head in return. "Do you mock me?"

"Who do you think should lead the Roses then? You?" A brief silence answered Calypso and she let out a loud laugh. Calypso threw her arms open. "Then take it! Prove it! Show me what makes you so worthy!" Her voice turned serious. "Kill Ruby Rose."

"What?!" Yang tried to get up, but Weiss and Blake held her down. "No! That's my sister!" The golden girl's eyes flared red and tears clouded her vision. "That's…" Her sight grew dim and she could her energy fading away. "...my… sister…"

"Yang?!" Blake shook the unconscious girl in her lap and panicked. How could this be happening?! They just came here to have fun!

"Blake, calm down!" Weiss checked Yang's wrist for pulse and held a hand beneath her nose. "She's breathing and her pulse is fine. She stayed awake this far on adrenaline."

"Yang is fine," Calypso said in a serious tone. "Please understand that this is something that needed to happen. Regardless of my feelings toward you, Schnee, the only thing I can say is that I am sorry for the future that awaits anyone who gets close to them. I only wish to see whose method is right: The Way of the Rose or the Will of Remnant. Either way, as living creatures, we are but slaves to the Will… As for what side she falls under - that remains to be seen. Young Ruby is a bit of an enigma." The taller figure absently checked her own scroll and laughed dismissively at the contents before returning it to her side and muttering to herself. "It seems my actions have displeased someone."

"The Will of… what are you talking about?!"

"Pay close attention. What happens here today is a clear outline of her future. It is the world she will grow into and the world she must inherit, lest all else be lost." _Lest_?! Who the fuck says _lest_ anymore?! Calypso motioned to the false Reaper, who turned to face Ruby. A putrid air permeated the air and the plant life within the vicinity began to wilt, browning and collapsing as brittle lifeless husks of their former selves. "This is what monsters are made of."

"Ruby Rose, this world has enough weakness as it is! I'll not let a Rose be part of it!"An infuriated growl resounded and the imposter outstretched an arm, readying for something huge. Stemming from her feet, a shadowy substance consumed her entire body, absorbing her clothing with a form-fitting inky black substance and maintaining its hooded appearance. Turning its hand palm-side up, it contorted into a large, grotesque claw, with fingertips reminiscent of giant blades moreso than nails. "Reaper" lifted the claw high into the air in preparation to crush Ruby.

"This is humanity as Remnant would have us; what Remnant believes us to be."

The claw "Reaper" had produced was now slamming down toward the helpless girl. Ruby lifted her left arm in defense but it a spark emitted from her elbow and her arm locked in place. As the claw drew closer, a white light illuminated a jagged grin within the black mass that formed the imposter's head, giving its innards an almost hollow appearance. Weiss covered her face in horror, preparing for the wet splat that would signify the end of the younger girl's life. Instead, it was replaced by a loud thud and the sound of a large chunk of metal screeching as it bounced across the ground. Weiss looked through her hands and slowly brought them down.

Somehow, Ruby was still alive and in the same spot, still curled in on herself. Several indents littered the ground, with a trail of broken pavement. At the end of the trail, a loud hiss emitted as a completely totaled car let out steam and its alarm roared. This could only the work of –

"Someone get Ruby!" The red-headed gladiator shouted. Spreading her arms out, various metal parts swirled behind her and she threw her arms forward, spearing the pieces toward the vehicle. As the pieces crashed into it, the alarm slowly drowned out until it completely died out.

"Oh, the B squad is back," Calypso commented off-handedly. She locked eyes with the red-head and a scrap flew toward her. "I forgot she could do that." Calypso considered her options for a moment, finally settling on one. "Miss Schnee, if you wouldn't terribly mind watching over Yang for me for a moment, I might decide to change my mind about you. After all, it seems her partner has decided to join the fray, as well." Wait, when? Weiss looked at Yang, finding Blake to be missing. Looking back toward Ruby, she also found her own partner to have vanished… When did Blake… When had Weiss become the most useless member of the team?

 **ooOOoo**

"Blake!" Pyrrha reached toward Crescent Rose, using her semblance to toss the scythe to the faunus.

"Thanks!" Blake ran off with her leader, trying to put as much distance between herself and the giant scrap heap as possible.

"Well well, little Miss Gladiator, it seems you're here to join in on the fun?"

"Fun?" Pyrrha gritted her teeth. "I'd hardly call this fun! What is wrong with the two of you?!"

"I really hate repeating myself. If you had all stayed together, this would have been so much easier." Calypso through her hands up as if she were perplexed. "The heiress likes being a broken record; go sit on the sidelines with her!" Wait, Weiss?! On the sidelines?! That couldn't be. Pyrrha shot a glance at Weiss, finding the disheveled girl next to a badly battered Yang.

"What the hell is this all about?!"

" _What's this about!_ " Calypso mocked the red-head. "Like I said, broken record... Let's change the subject for a moment!" Amusement riddled Calypso's voice. "What blood-type are you?"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"No, seriously!"

"You can go to hell!"

"Alright, I deserve that. Let's try this from a different angle." Calypso rubbed her chin. "A future where more of these creatures and **far** worse exist awaits those who follow Ruby Rose. Knowing this, will you still stand at her side?" Pyrrha gritted her teeth in frustration. This woman simply wasn't giving them any answers, at all. However, Ruby had given them even less. If Ruby wanted her friends' support, something would have to give after they got past this mess – anything!

"She's my friend. I will always give them my best."

"Even if the darkness they are shielding you from something greater than you can imagine? Even if it drags you deep into the catacombs of Remnant's most disturbing secrets?" The amusement was still there. "Do you honestly think you can help her as you are? Or that she'll ever even tell you what this is about?"

"If she's kept it a secret, then there has to be a good reason."

"Do you hear yourself, right now? Or are you just trying to convince yourself?" Calypso laughed loudly. "I can make her tell you everything. I can force her to tell you... to tell you of her own volition! It's a little under-handed and I just need your blood-type, but it **does** come at a price. The strength you will gain; however, will allow you stand at her side, just as Yang does… Just as Mister Arc undoubtedly will."

"Leave Jaune out of this!... And I'm already too powerful. I already have enough to help Ruby."

"Well, I never thought the great Pyrrha Nikos could be capable of such arrogant words! This day just gets better! You kids and your overconfidence!" Calypso slapped her knee. "Tell me, has Mister Arc ever said anything about seeing people's auras? Or even just colors suddenly enveloping them?" Pyrrha's eyes grew wide. "Your expression says enough. He's already on the path to leaving you behind. I'll tell you what. No weapons, free form. You. Me. Right now. I win: you give me what I want."

"And if I win?"

"That won't happen…" Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "Buuuut, I suppose I could give you **something**."

"You won't involve Jaune in anything!"

"Oh, I'm afraid it's much too late for that, Miss Nikos. That's your own doing, by the way," Calypso added. "Unlocking his semblance made it impossible for him to avoid this. You see, his semblance is the most unfortunate thing to have. In most cases, it's thought to be an aural defect in blonde blue-eyed children, though all red-headed silver-eyed girls are born with it – aka Children of the Rose – but in short, it means he is cursed… Let's seeeeee…" She tapped her chin. "If you win, I'll tell you just enough to help Mister Arc through this ordeal!... I **will** tell you a little something in advance though… Mister Arc may be the same as Ruby…" Calypso raised her hand to her mouth and a crunching sound was heard. Suddenly, Calypso was locking hands with Pyrrha, pushing her backwards. Waves of electricity warped around Calypso's body and a numbing sensation traveled down Pyrrha's arms and through her core. "… But Yang is a diet me…"

 **ooOOoo**

Metal creaked and the scraps that had encased Reaper's imposter exploded in a furious display of aura. A loud roar erupted from the creature that now represented the imposter and it locked onto the faunus that now carried Ruby. Infuriated that its kill was taken, Reaper shrieked loudly before launching itself at the two escapees. Tossed over Blake's shoulder, Ruby hazily looked up into Reaper's oncoming attack. Her eyes widened with worry, not for herself, but for her teammate. She couldn't let Blake be caught up in the aftermath. Ruby attempted to move her left hand to no avail. With no other choice, she concentrated some of her aura into her right hand instead. Reaper raked its claw through the ground, swiping in an upward motion.

"Blake…" Ruby murmured. A black shadow rushed at her from her side. Blake dove forward out of harm's way, losing her grip on Ruby. She felt a light tap on her back; Ruby must have tried to grab hold of her. Blake squinted as she hit the ground roughly.

"Ruby, are you -" Blake shot up, looking for Ruby, only to find herself sitting amongst her peers. "Okay?" Confusion rattled the ravenette's brain as she tried to figure out how she had teleported between areas.

"Hack, hack… eheheh… heheheheh…" A cough that evolved into a weak chuckle came from the blonde that was curled into a ball. Apparently, in the time that Yang passed out and the distraction Pyrrha had caused, the blonde had regained consciousness. "I should thank Rubes, I guess," the blonde said through gritted teeth. In her teeth sat a single red rose petal… The petal trick from the arena? But wait, Ruby wasn't with her… Ruby… teleported her? But Ruby's semblance was speed… wasn't it?

"Back so soon?" The familiar voice of Calypso greeted the rest of Team RWBY. "Here, catch!" She dropped the semi-conscious gladiator between Blake and Weiss and leaned down, grasping Yang's cheeks firmly, removing the petal and letting it fade along with Yang consciousness. "Can't have that, now, can we? Sleep tight." Calypso's eyes drifted to Weiss and she pointed at her. "You..." Weiss flinched at that intense gaze. "… thank you…" And with that, she simply stood up and continued to watch. After a moment, she absently spoke to Weiss again. "Schnee, not that I particularly care, but if you are as against your father's ways as Ruby believes and you truly wish to stand at the side of a Rose, know that you are in for a long, horrible ride…" Adamant sapphires met piercing bloody reds and Calypso huffed. "You can't even begin to fathom what awaits you beyond this day. You want answers to questions you don't even have yet… but if one were to look into the true origins of Grimm, one would surely begin to ask the correct questions and be drawn in the right direction."

A glance back revealed Ruby to have been thrown into a pillar, where she deployed Crescent Rose, hooking it around it and setting herself on top. Sparks poured from her left arm, igniting her sleeve, though she appeared unphased by it. Ruby collapsed Crescent Rose into its sniper form and steadied it on her still locked arm. A hail of bullets rained on the creature, either missing or being dodged. It grinned at Ruby's poor aim and let out an arrogant roar.

" _ **It'll take more than that, little girl!"**_

"Aaaargh!" Ruby screamed. "Get out of my head!" Deploying Crescent Rose's scythe form once more, Ruby dropped from the pillar, running downward and hitting the ground, exploding in a flurry of petals. All was silent and Reaper looked around cautiously. A lone petal fluttered passed the monster's eyes and it turned around into a blinding flurry of petals. It swatted at the storm of petals, attempting to clear a path, but they only grew in number. A glint of silver flashed among the petals and Crescent Rose pierced through the fluttering cloud. The creature leapt backwards and Ruby burst from the flurry, dragging petals with her.

Wielding her scythe with only her right arm, Ruby pursued the monstrous being and swung with all of her weight. The blade barely missed and dug into the ground, leaving Ruby open for a powerful blow to her abdomen. The force sent her flying toward her group of friends, eventually crashing hard into the ground, her arm screeching along the ground with sparks flying. By the time she had come to a complete stop, the sleeve covering her arm had been torn away. Everyone looked on in shock as Ruby's newly revealed arm sparked with an electrical surge, failing at each attempt to maneuver. Ruby struggled to lift herself, but a force slammed her back down. She winced in pain at the pressure on her chest and creaked an eye open. Her attacker was upon her.

 _Dammit… If only the others weren't here…_ Ruby coughed as she struggled to get air into her lungs. A cracking sound came from her arm and drew the monster's attention, garnering a wicked grin that burned into Ruby's mind. The pressure on her chest lifted and Ruby took a deep breath, only to let it out in the form a scream as a foot stomped on her crippled arm, grinding it into the ground and spreading the cracks. The torture continued with repetitive stomps until the lights of the arm flickered and it powered down. Satisfied with its work, the monster kicked Ruby over, revealing her pain-filled and tear-stricken face.

The white light that emitted from the within the creature began to morph into a light blue and the surrounding temperature dropped drastically. A glow emitted from within the Grimm-like humanoid's shoulders. It pulsed brightly and a light blue ball of light formed, travelling down its arm and stopped at its sharp, pointed thumb. The lights pulsed four more times, traveling to each remaining claw-like finger, frosting each talon and encasing them in ice. The creature let out a feral growl, anticipating its prey's demise and prepared itself.

"We have to help her!" Weiss cried.

 **ooOOoo**

" _ **Heheheh, you were always the weak one, you know?**_ _ **"**_ It resounded from deep within the recesses of Ruby's mind, locked far away where its presence was intended to never be reinvoked. _**"Retreating into your mind?... Coming back to me!"**_ Ever the same, the voice was filled with a sarcastic poison, rife with entertainment at her current predicament.

" _ **Oh god dammit… I'm kinda' busy here. What do you want?"**_

" _ **I'm hurt! It's been so long since we were last one! I only wish to offer a solution to your dilemma!... To put an end to that which is before you!"**_

" _ **No, thanks! I'm doing just fine!"**_

" _ **Not from where I'm standing. Heheheh."**_

" _ **Then sit…"**_

" _ **Alriiiight! Suit yourself, Little Rose."**_ The sarcastic little voice bid her adieu. **"** _ **But you have to embrace what you really are one day."**_

 **ooOOoo**

"Ruby," the smugness of Calypso's voice dragged her attention away from the voice that chided her from within. She shot the woman a threatening glare, but she seemed none too concerned with the young Rose. In fact, she was more focused on picking her nails in an obnoxiously sporadic fashion, drumming repetitively against her thumb and cycling in an repetitive pattern... Wait, repetitive pattern? "She **will** kill you. This isn't a game… We were certain your mother told you what happens to Roses who die." Dammit, not enough time to decipher! Ruby's eyes widened as the creature's foot came down once more. Her eyes closed in anticipation of the incoming pain, but it never came. Instead, the creature was pelted with a barrage of gunfire and something slammed into it, knocking it away again. She felt herself being lifted and opened her eyes to find Jaune smiling at her. Looking passed his shoulder, she saw Nora jumping from Ren's shoulder and raining a grand fury of grenades onto the assailant.

"Sorry we took so long. There was no other way to get our weapons. We had to ask Ozpin to do a manual override and send them to a different location. Uhhh…"

"Jaune?"

"I mean, I'm glad we got everything, but I don't know what that is or what to do."

"Jaune…"

"How do we even beat something like that?! Who brings a Grimm into Vale?! Do Grimm even wear clothes? Or have aura? Or semblances? Or talk! It communicates! When-"

" **Jaune!** " He was instantly quieted and looked at Ruby in his arms. Even though he was known for random bursts of courage that were most likely a result of him going against his better judgment, he was there when it counted… and very afraid. "You're shaking…"

"Well, yeah!" He squeaked. "Are you not?!" Ruby blinked and stared at him blankly until a random spark emitted from her arm. "Holy shit! What the hell is that! Ruby… Are you like… Atlas' General?" Ruby cringed at the reference to that man.

"You can put me down, Jaune." She shifted in his arms to touch the ground and he set her down gently. "No, this is very different."

"Oh, hell… I give up. Do whatever you guys want," Calypso exhaled. "I'm not trying to police you people all day."

"Pyrrha?!" Jaune ran to his partner. "What'd you do to Pyrrha?!... And Yang?!"

"They're fine, Jaune." Deciding there weren't many options left, Ruby turned away from her friends. Hidden within her cloak, she wrapped her right arm around the left, pressing a large green button that triggered a release mechanism. She hissed loudly as the metal plating encasing her arm disengaged and crumbled into large pieces. As they fell, an electrical wave surged through the pieces and they disintegrated into tiny particles. "Pyrrha's just unconscious."

"Ruby?" Weiss was focused on the disintegrating plates that clearly resembled black Dust. Next to Ruby's feet, Crescent Rose emitted a mechanical moan. It hissed and the blade guard popped open, releasing what looked to be an electrically charged black cloud. The cloud rushed to gather where at Ruby's left side and she lifted a newly re-encased arm. Rippling with a magnetic pulse, the Dust jumped around as it conformed to the appropriate shape, adjusting itself to more correct levels. She stretched the arm out and wiggled her fingers before returning it to her side and turned around to get a good look at her friends. She felt a stab in her heart at the terrified looks on their faces. This was never meant to happen but…

" _ **Ruuuuby… heh heh heh,"**_ a dark chuckle came from deep within her. Hesitating, Ruby gritted her teeth, only regaining herself as Ren and Nora flew past her. _**"You know what you need to do."**_

"What do you want from me?" Her voice carried a dangerous tone to it.

"Who me?" Calypso pointed at herself. "Oh, at this moment, I'm not here for you. **She** is. I did what I needed to do already, but in regard to the situation at hand, I assume you've been thinking this whole time _'If I just let them kick my ass, they'll go away and I won't have to get serious'_ … Nailed it?"

"…"

"Nailed it!" The taller specter gave herself a small congratulatory fist pump and then suddenly pointed behind Ruby. "Fat chance! This whole arrangement was mostly for you two Roses to have it out! I'd pay more attention to her, by the way. She's an asshole!" Ruby turned around, finding the creature in mid-pounce merely inches away from her. It gripped her with its claws and threw her far away. Claws digging into the ground, the Grimm-like humanoid pulled back, stretching the arms of the claws like elastic. It finally let go, snapping forward with an incredible speed.

"What's going on with Ruby?!" Jaune stared in horror as the Grimm drew closer to his friend, but it was more what was encasing his friend that had frozen him.

"Do you see something, boy?" It seemed his semblance was finally starting to manifest. It was a shame Calypso couldn't see through his eyes, nor would he answer her. "She values all of you far too much… Remnant is doomed. I can only hope another Rose will step up to take her place…"

The formerly-human creature lifted its icy claws, preparing to thrust them deeply into the girl as she rolled across the ground. Ruby came to a stop and scrambled to sit up, but it was already far too late. No amount of speed would save her. It already had it planned out. It would rip her limb from limb and bath in her blood. It would show them that it was the only logical choice to carry on the mantle left behind. It would show them that they were all wrong. It would… be pierced by an arrow?

Time stood still as it turned to identify who had attacked second before its moment of glory… Red eyes met red eyes and the false Reaper caught the glint a familiar vine-wrapped ivory bow. Oh… it seemed fitting enough. She felt the Grimm cloak fade away as the glowing arrow phased through her. Trailing behind was a spectral image, closely resembling herself as it was torn from her body. As it crashed to the ground, the image shattered into glass-like aural shards that faded in the air and her body jolted with cold, hard pain – the same biting pain triggered by a sudden onset of fear. As her consciousness faded, she scolded herself. Obsessed with restoring the Roses to their former glory, she hadn't noticed the most important thing. Since beginning their journey, they had been so adamant about taking her to Ruby Rose… She should have known they were using her desires against her… But most of all, she should have realized…

"Do not… trust… Phantom…"

* * *

 **AN: Well, fun times. This ends the Sunrise portion. Next chapter is actually almost done - just needs some editing. I know things have been confusing and whatnot, but I'll begin explaining things during the next chapter. Of course, I can't give away EVERYTHING in one go, but you'll finally get to see more involved interactions with the voice in Ruby's head. The next arc is going to have a lot to do with it. It will explain some of the Rose War, what the voice in Ruby's head is, what happened with the sisters, the Rose Family, EXACTLY what's going on with Ruby's arm... pretty much any question that's been raised so far... actually, the next arc is probably going to be really long. I might split it into two. I'll get there when I do. With that being said, the arc is titled "Fear the Reaper", which was ironically the original title of this story.**


	10. AN: REWRITE IN PROGRESS

**AN: I hate doing this a second time. I've mentioned in some of my other stories, and even some PMs that I have received from a few of you, that I don't intend to drop Fear: Reap; however, I'm at a bit of an impasse. This story had a clear direction, and somewhere along the line, I let it develop a mind of its own. Sadly, I have written myself into a writer's block that I just can't pass and I feel it's become unsalvageably crazy. With that being said, NO. I AM NOT dropping this. Rather, I'm focusing on a complete re-write all the way back to the first chapter. My intent is to be able to answer some of the posed questions a bit sooner, as well as actually give off the appearance that I give a damn about this story having some sort of structure to it. When I compare it to Lightforge and The Last Stand, I'm saddened because I can clearly see how they come together. When I reread this one, I become confused and I share some of your pain. With that being said, I will be working on the rewrite, but hopefully you guys will check out the other two stories. Thanks! - Insolent**


	11. AN: STORY REVIVED

**Hey guys!**

 **It's been a while, but some of you have probably seen! This has been revived under a rewrite:**

 **Fear: Reap ~REDUX~ , so you guys can actually click on my Pen Name up top and pull it up! I wanted to take a moment to let you guys know that I've been going back to fix some of the errors and fill out more of a background and make sure questions actually get answered. Calypso's character will actually be getting a rewrite, as well. I actually feel pretty good about how everything is going right now, so feel free to check it out and let me know how I'm doing!**

 **-Insolent**


End file.
